Dear One
by LucianLoveNarnia
Summary: What if Lucy decided to stay in Narnia? What if she and Caspian got closer than just brother and sister to each other? My ending to VODT and the story of Lucy in Narnia afterwards. Chapter 50 posted! LAST CHAPTER!
1. Decision and Consequence

**This is my ending to Voyage of the **_**Dawn Treader**_** as well as a continuing story about Queen Lucy in Narnia. **

**Disclaimer: All that jazz about not owning any of the characters or anything. Ya ya. Dunno why we have to put these on a sight called , but OKAY!  
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Chapter 1) Decision and Consequence

"I think we should go back to England, Lu," Edmund said, placing his hand on my shoulder. I turned to Aslan's kind, golden eyes, pleading.

"Aslan," I said, practically begging. "Do I have the choice to stay in Narnia if I wish?"

"Yes, dear one. But if you stay in Narnia, you will never be able to go back." I turned to Edmund.

"You'll be able to come up with something for Mum and Dad, won't you? And you can tell Peter and Susan what happened."

"I suppose…but Lu, is this really what you want?" my brother asked me. I turned to look around me, tears still in my eyes from Reepicheep's departure. I caught Eustace's glance, encouraging me to stay. My blue eyes finally caught sight of the warm, kind brown of Caspian's gaze. Something was in that gaze that I didn't understand. It was almost as if he was begging me to stay…just as I had almost been begging Aslan to stay. I turned back to Edmund.

"Yes. I want to stay in Narnia. I don't think I'd ever be truly happy back in our world. I want to stay here." Edmund's eyes filled with tears again as he pulled me into a hug, holding me tight against him.

"Oh, Lu…what if something happens to you?"

"It's all right, Ed," Caspian spoke up, clapping my brother on the shoulder. His eyes locked with mine again. "I'll look after her."

"All right…but I'm trusting you not to let anything happen to my sister. If you do, I will find out about it, and I will find a way back here." I watched him and Caspian laugh, and even heard Eustace laugh a bit, and Aslan's deep chuckle.

"All right," the Lion began, turning to Eustace and Edmund, "are you two ready to go home?" They nodded. Aslan turned and roared, a hole appearing in the water that no doubt led back to my old room in England. Just as they started to walk into it, Eustace turned back to look at Aslan.

"Will I ever come back?" he asked.

"Narnia may yet have need of you," Aslan answered. Eustace nodded, satisfied, and I had no doubt that I would see him again…one day. He followed Edmund through the hole in the water…and then they vanished as the hole closed up.

Aslan turned to me, a slight smile on his face.

"I will be watching over your family every day, dear one. Normally, I only tell people their own stories, but I will be able to make an exception should anything happen. I will bless your time here in Narnia for the rest of your days. Don't lose hope, dear one." I felt his soft, warm breath on me before he turned and walked through the wall of water and was gone.

"Come," Caspian said, holding out his hand for me. "We must go back to the ship." I took his outstretched hand as he helped me into the boat and we headed back to the _Dawn Treader_. Crewmates were happy to see me there, but discouraged at never being able to see Edmund or Reepicheep again. Some of them were cheered by the fact that Eustace might be coming back again someday, and others—like Drinian—grumbled at the news.

Caspian announced that we would be back at the Lone Islands within two weeks and everyone we saved cheered. We figured out that same day that half of them were from the Lone Islands, and the other half were from Narnia itself, but had ventured to the Lone Islands and had been sacrificed to the mist the same way the local people had.

That night, I sat in my cabin on the bed, my knees pulled up against my chest, my arms encircling my legs, and my face hidden as I cried. I heard a soft knock and didn't bother looking up as I allowed them to come in. I heard the door open long enough for whoever it was to enter before it closed, and then footsteps walking over to my bed. It wasn't until I felt strong arms around me and a familiar scent that I knew it was Caspian.

"Lucy, I'm so sorry you won't be able to see your family again." He pulled out of the hug and pulled my chin up so that I would look at him. "But don't worry. I'm here, and I won't let anything bad happen to you. Then one day, you'll be able to see your family in Aslan's Country. And I my father. Everything will be put right then."

"I know I'll meet them in Aslan's Country…but…what if something happens to one of them? What if they get in an accident? Or what if someone breaks into the house and hurts them? Or maybe—"

"Lucy, calm down. It's all right. Aslan is watching over them, remember. And he'll let you know if anything happens. He's never let you down before, has he?" When I shook my head, he nodded. "Exactly. We just need to trust him." He smiled. "What happened to Queen Lucy the Valiant, who never lost trust in the Great Lion?" I straightened up and wiped the tears from my eyes, putting on a bold look.

"She's right here," I said, earning a smile from Caspian. He hugged me again.

"But of course, even Queen Lucy the Valiant has things she can cry over," he whispered gently, rubbing my back as I hugged him tightly and started to sob.

I must have cried myself to sleep, because when I opened my eyes, there was sunlight streaming through the window, I was under the covers, and, most importantly, I was alone. I sighed, missing Caspian's warmth and sweet, familiar scent. I got up and got dressed before going above deck to see that we were making great time. We were approaching the Island of Ramandu, which Caspian assured me was our last stop until we reached the Lone Islands. We didn't have to worry about food, because we were completely stocked up, thanks to Aslan.

When we reached Ramandu's Island, Liliandil was there to greet us, as well as the three Lords, who were now awake and able to eat the food set out. Caspian had them go back to the ship once we ate, and I could tell he was trying to force a question out. He finally got it out, asking Liliandil if she wished to join us to come back to Narnia, more out of kindness than real desire. I could tell just by looking at him that he figured it an appropriate question because of his comments on her beauty and him wishing to see her again before, but now I could tell he didn't…well, didn't _care_ all that much. But Liliandil didn't know him as much as I did, and so she agreed, going back to the _Dawn Treader_ with us, and spending most of her time dawdling around the ship the entire way back to Narnia while the rest of us worked.

One night, as I was standing—alone for once, since Liliandil was in another cabin—on deck, looking up at the stars, Caspian came up next to me and leaned against the railing.

"You know," he commented quietly, looking at me, "I wish Liliandil had said no." So I'd been right before. But I didn't want to give anything away, so I decided to play dumb.

"What _are_ you talking about, Caspian?" I asked him, giggling.

"I mean, when I asked her if she wanted to come back to Narnia with us…I wish she had said no."

"But who _wouldn't_ have wanted to go back to Narnia with you, King Caspian?" I teased. "She was just being honest." I giggled, and he laughed, elbowing me teasingly.

"Is that a compliment?" he asked, raising an eyebrow at me.

"Maybe it is…and maybe it isn't. _I'll_ never tell!" Just then, I heard Liliandil come up from her cabin and walk over to us. She was worse than Susan. At least Susan was sort of humble about her beauty except around men she fancied. But even around men, she was very lady-like and never flaunted her beauty. Liliandil, however, flaunted her beauty wherever she went, waving at people and giggling at nothing, playing with her shiny, blonde hair constantly, either twirling it around her finger or flipping it over her shoulder. As she approached us, she was twirling it, her head tilted up as she looked at the sky, being very particular about the angle of her head, making sure she showed off enough of her long, pale neck, but not _too_ much of it. She looked down—just at Caspian, never me—and acted all surprised, as if she hadn't seen him standing there a moment before.

"Oh, Caspian!" she cried, rushing over to him and grabbing his arm, making him jump slightly. One thing I noticed was that his body never seemed to relax. He was always sort of tense, his guard always up. "Isn't it a beautiful night?" She sighed dramatically and rested her head against his shoulder. I could tell it took all of him not to jerk away from her and her too-forward attitude.

"Of course," he replied. I could sense the force behind the seemingly off-hand comment. But Liliandil didn't. _No_, she pressed on, completely ignoring me as if I didn't exist. I felt this was the perfect time to interject.

"Oh, Liliandil, you interrupted our perfectly wonderful conversation!" I caught the amused and confused look Caspian shot me in my peripheral vision, but I didn't look at him. Instead, my gaze stayed on Liliandil's face. Since I was focused on her, I didn't miss the flash of fire behind her eyes before she composed herself.

"Oh, well I'm sorry. I didn't realize I'd been _interrupting_ anything," she said, her voice hinting at something as she looked at Caspian for some kind of explanation. Probably an explanation as to why I was still here.

"Um, Lucy, it's getting late. Do you want me to walk you to your cabin?" Caspian asked, his eyes pleading for me to say yes. So I did. He held out his hand for me and I took it, not being able to help one last glance at Liliandil's hate-filled face. We reached my cabin and I dragged Caspian in, barely able to close the door before we burst out laughing. When we stopped, Caspian turned to me, his face serious again.

"Can I stay in here tonight? She's gone into her cabin, right across the hallway, and if I leave, she'll hear me, and there will be no one to stop her from following me down to my sleeping quarters."

"Of course," I said, knowing for a fact nothing was going to happen. Not only was Caspian a perfect gentleman—which had gotten him into this mess in the first place—but he also didn't think of me as anything but a sister. So we headed to bed, and I fell asleep easily with Caspian's body heat and familiar scent penetrating my senses.


	2. Back at the Lone Islands

Dear One

Chapter 2) Back at the Lone Islands

Within a couple of days or so—we hadn't had to face storms or shortening of rations this time, so everyone worked harder—we reached the Lone Islands and were greeted by throngs of rejoicing people. The Lords Mavramorn, Revilian, and Argoz decided to stay on Felimath to help Lord Bern, whom Caspian made Duke of the island. Lord Rhoop, however decided to go on into Narnia with the crew and the Narnians, wanting to see Narnia now that peace was established throughout.

Once we landed on Felimath, Bern as well as the many families of the lost people greeted us with cheers. Bern walked up to Caspian and drew him aside to speak with him, his eyes darting to me and Liliandil, no doubt asking why I hadn't gone back to my world and why Liliandil was accompanying us since I had stayed. Ramandu's daughter stood close enough to hang on every word, but far enough away not to attract attention from either Caspian or Bern. I rolled my eyes at her and turned to watch families reunite, crying tears of joy as children were returned to their parents, men and women returned to their children and spouses, and the overall feeling of happiness throughout the air.

As I was watching, I felt a hand on my shoulder and turned to see Caspian next to me, smiling at the scene I'd been watching just a moment before.

"Wonderful, isn't it?" he asked, his brown eyes turning to look at me. I could detect the slight pain behind the joy in his eyes, and I'm sure I returned the same look. Neither of us had any real family to go back to…it was just us now. Nevertheless, I agreed. It was wonderful to see families together again after all this time.

"My king, this way!" I heard Bern call, and we both turned to see him come up with three horses on a lead rope. Caspian helped me up onto the first of them, a beautiful all-white mare. He also helped Liliandil up onto a brown-and-white stallion. Finally, Caspian himself got up onto a majestic, all-black stallion. Bern took the lead ropes off of all horses except Liliandil's, which a young man took hold of. Caspian and I noticed this and exchanged amused glances before we headed off in the direction of the castle on the island. When we got there, more people greeted us. Some of the servants helped us off of the horses and took them to the stables to have them fed and groomed while other servants led us to rooms, explaining that Lord Bern had insisted we stay for one night, seeing as how we were weary from our travels to the east and it was a few days' journey back to Cair Paravel. Caspian agreed and we headed into our rooms.

Caspian and I wandered around the castle for a while, talking and laughing, not having to worry about Liliandil because she'd informed us she was going to stay in her room. We finally found a balcony to stand on and look out over the western ocean. Far off in the distance I could see the land that was Narnia, and I delighted at the fact that I would be back at Cair Paravel soon. I sighed in contentment and rested my chin in my hand.

"You glad to be going home?" Caspian asked, leaning against the stone railing of the balcony. An excited shiver ran down my spine when he said "home," and I nodded, a smile spreading across my face.

"If only Peter, Susan, and Edmund were here with me," I commented, my smile faltering when I thought of my siblings. "Home won't be the same without them. Back in the Golden Age…we were almost always together."

"I've heard the stories…but I'd like to hear from one of the people who actually lived during the Golden Age to tell me what it was like," Caspian commented, looking at me. "Will you tell me about it?" I laughed.

"Of course!" I said, beginning a story about the first suitor that ever visited me.

_Being eighteen wasn't _all_ bad. There were some perks, like being able to go out on horse rides by the beach on my own, or wandering through the calm forest and visiting the talking animals without supervision by either my brothers or Mr. Tumnus—though I still went on frequent walks with him because I liked to. But being able to go into battle with Edmund by my side was what I enjoyed most. The suitors weren't too bad, either, though most of them came for Susan, who was, at this time, twenty-three years old, and more beautiful than she'd ever been. But one suitor in particular was a man from Calormen. His name was Luke, he was nineteen years old, and enjoyed spending time with me. But whenever he came to Cair, Peter and Edmund would terrorize him. Sometimes it was funny. Other times they were too harsh on him, and I would have to intervene and drag him out of the castle. The last time he came really stood out to me, though._

_ "Your majesty?" Mr. Tumnus asked, tapping my shoulder. I turned to him and smiled._

_ "Oh, hello Mr. Tumnus," I said. "What is it you require?"_

_ "Luke is here to see you."_

_ "Oh, well lead him in." We were in the throne room, with Susan sitting on her throne reading, and my brothers looking out a window on one side of the room discussing battle actions against the giants in the North. Mr. Tumnus let Luke in, and he walked over to me, eyeing my brothers cautiously. I giggled and he offered his arm. I laced mine through his and we left, walking down the hall, and then out the front of Cair, walking in the direction of the beach. We talked and laughed and had a good time. Then Luke stopped and turned to me._

_ "Lucy," he said—I'd told him not to call me "Your Majesty" all the time—his green eyes serious, "I talked to your brothers earlier for their blessing…and I was lucky enough to receive it. So, will you marry me?" My breath caught in my throat. Luke was the only suitor I'd ever had for an extended amount of time, so of course I really liked him…but did I _love_ him was the question. But despite that, I found myself agreeing to his proposal. I remembered a huge grin light up his handsome face before he escorted me back to Cair and headed for Calormen to make arrangements._

_ A few days later, me and my siblings went out hunting the white stag, and as we went along, Edmund started slowing behind us. Peter said we should turn back around._

_ "Come on, Ed!" Susan said as we came back to him._

_ "What was it he said earlier, Susan?" I joked, grinning at her. We both turned to look at Edmund._

_ "'You girls wait in the castle. I'll get the stag myself!'" she repeated his earlier words and we both laughed as Edmund rolled his eyes. But Peter had his eyes fixated on something near us._

_ "What's this?" he said, getting down off his horse. The rest of us followed suit and looked up at what he saw. It was a lamppost._

_ "It seems like something from a dream," Susan said._

_ "Or a dream of a dream," Edmund added. Suddenly I remembered and looked around us._

_ "Spare Oom!" I said suddenly, and headed off into the forest, hearing my siblings calling my name behind me. "Come on!" I called, and suddenly we were back in our own world, exactly the same as when we'd entered. I found I was ten again. I looked back into the wardrobe, expecting to see Narnia's familiar trees, but the only wood was…the back of the wardrobe. My last thought before Professor Kirke came in was "I'm sorry, Luke."_

"You were betrothed?" Caspian asked, brown eyes wide.

"Yes."

"And you left it behind?"

"I didn't know what would happen if I looked for the wardrobe. I just followed my curiosity."

"You tend to do that a lot, don't you?"

"Oh, shut up!" I protested, shoving his shoulder teasingly. He laughed at me. The sky was growing dark now, the stars beginning to show themselves, and yet Caspian and I continued to talk. One servant brought us chairs at one point and we sat in them, continuing to talk to one another.

"So now it's your turn to tell me a story," I told him as I got comfortable in the chair, propping my elbow up on the railing and resting my head against my hand. "I told you one of my personal stories, now you have to tell me one of yours."

"Well, all right."

_Twelve-year-old Caspian sat on a comfy reading chair in the library, half-reading a book his professor had given him and half-watching Dr. Cornelius meander around, organizing piles of papers and fixing up fallen piles of books and scrolls. At the same time, he seemed to be searching for something. Caspian set the book down on his lap, still open and fixed his attention on Dr. Cornelius._

_ "What are you searching for, sir?" he asked. Dr. Cornelius looked up at him from a stack of scrolls he was searching through. He walked closer to Caspian and sat on the chair next to the boy's, his voice low as he spoke._

_ "You see, I am searching for my scrolls with documented history of Old Narnia, during the Golden Age and even before when the White Witch ruled."_

_ "Old Narnia? White Witch? But sir, you could be banished for speaking of those things!" Caspian protested in a whisper. Dr. Cornelius shook his head in disagreement._

_ "No, my boy, it's quite all right. No one else will find out. You see, when you and I are in here, I usually lock the door. I don't like people interrupting when I'm trying to teach you. You get easily distracted in here as it is." He got up and started searching through his scrolls again, finally pulling out a few. He took the book from Caspian and replaced them with the scrolls. The young prince pouted slightly as Dr. Cornelius put away his book._

_ "I was reading that," he complained, before turning his attention to the scrolls in his lap. Dr. Cornelius pulled the second reading chair around so he could sit facing Caspian. He took the top scroll from the boy's lap and gently rolled it open, showing Caspian the pictures of winter in the wood._

_ "For one hundred years in Narnia, there was nothing but winter. Jadis the White Witch made that so…." He continued telling Caspian stories until the prince's studying time was over. For days after that, Caspian would finish his studies quickly and Dr. Cornelius would tell him stories about the Old Narnians in a low voice. But then they came to the part of the story where Aslan defeated the White Witch, and Dr. Cornelius would not read it to him._

_ "But sir, it's time for you to read me my stories," Caspian protested as Dr. Cornelius opened the door and gestured for him to go early today. As the prince passed, the professor leaned down to whisper to him._

_ "I'll tell you this story tonight, my prince. Now go, before your uncle comes." Caspian nodded and headed to his room, taking with him a book Dr. Cornelius had handed him. When Miraz came to his room after the time his studies were supposed to have finished, Caspian was sitting on his window seat, half-reading his book and half-looking out the window, waiting for nightfall to come. But of course, if you're waiting for something, it usually comes slower. It seemed this way to young Caspian as he sat looking out the window. He jumped when he felt a hand on his shoulder, not having heard his uncle's entrance._

_ "How were your studies today, Caspian?"_

_ "They were fine," the boy said, turning back to his book._

_ "And what is that you are reading?"_

_ "The history of how the Telmarines took over Narnia."_

_ "Ah. Good boy." Miraz clapped his nephew on the shoulder before turning and leaving the room, the door slamming loudly behind him._

_ In the middle of the night, Dr. Cornelius woke Caspian and gestured for him to remain quiet. Caspian threw on a cloak and boots and followed his professor up to a secluded balcony where no one went. Cornelius said then that it was safe to tell the young prince the story of Aslan defeating the White Witch._

_ "Aslan had been killed by Jadis herself with a stone knife, and Queens Lucy and Susan were there to witness it. They spent the entire night with the Lion, and the trees sent word to Kings Peter and Edmund about the Lion's death. The next day, High King Peter and King Edmund went into battle against the White Witch and her forces. King Peter's army was much smaller than that of Jadis's. But little did they know that, as Queens Lucy and Susan started to leave, they heard a great crack, and turned back to see the Stone Table had split in two, and the Great Lion was gone. But then Aslan appeared before them again, alive and well. He explained to the young Queens that if a person that has done no wrong sacrificed themselves, the Stone Table would crack, and death itself would turn backwards._

_ "Aslan took them to the palace of the White Witch and awakened every Narnian that had been turned to stone at the Witch's hand and took them all into the battle. As High King Peter was fighting the Witch, the Great Lion jumped at her, and killed her. Then he turned to King Peter and his words were, 'It is finished.' Afterwards, they went to Cair Paravel, a great castle on the edge of the ocean, and were named Kings and Queens of Narnia. Their names were High King Peter the Magnificent, King Edmund the Just, Queen Susan the Gentle, and Queen Lucy the Valiant." It was Queen Lucy's name that stuck out to Caspian, and an excited shiver ran down his spine as he looked at the picture of her sitting on her throne at Cair Paravel. "Not long after that, the four were hunting the white stag, which was said that if caught, it would grant you wishes. They disappeared on this hunt and were never heard from again."_

_ "Is that it?" Caspian asked, a little disappointed that the story ended there._

_ "That's it," Dr. Cornelius concluded, nodding. "Now off to bed with you." Caspian fell asleep that night with Queen Lucy the Valiant's name on his mind._

"You thought of me as you fell asleep?" I asked, giggling.

"I couldn't help it. Your name stood out to me. I mean, _King_ _Peter the Magnificent_ was to be expected from the High King, and _King Edmund the Just _and _Queen Susan the Gentle_ were very mellow. And then there was you. _Queen Lucy the Valiant_ was quite different, and valiant put to a queen was, well…odd. But don't worry, it's a good type of odd."

"Well, I'm glad I was thought of over Susan for once," I half-joked, smiling slightly. Caspian wrapped an arm around my shoulders.

"You know what I think?" he said. I looked up at him, the obvious question in my expression. "I think you're more wonderful and beautiful than Susan will ever be, and Luke was a smart man to see that." I smiled and laughed lightly, but was serious again as I looked into Caspian's warm, brown eyes.

"You think I'm beautiful?" I asked. I'd never been told that before. _Cute_ and _pretty_, yes…but never _beautiful_.

"Of course," Caspian answered, smiling. "Now come on. I think it's time both of us went to bed." I laughed and agreed. He walked me to my room, lightly kissing my forehead before heading off to his own room. I blushed and went into my own room, leaning against the door once it was closed behind me. Caspian's words echoed through my mind as I changed into my nightgown and crawled in bed.


	3. Cair Paravel

Dear One

Chapter 3) Cair Paravel

After that night spent on Felimath, Caspian, Liliandil, and I headed back to the _Dawn Treader_ to go back home to Cair Paravel in Narnia. As much as I had loved being aboard the _Treader_, and had enjoyed our voyage east, I missed my home in Narnia dearly, and couldn't wait to see it again. Three years before, when my siblings and I had come back, it had been in ruins, and I was happy to hear that the reconstruction was nearly finished; they were just working on getting the details in place in the garden. When I asked about it, Caspian just smiled and told me it was a surprise meant for me. I had laughed and said okay, but his answer made me really curious.

Two days travel aboard the _Dawn Treader_ and we reached Narnia's dock. The Narnians aboard the ship rushed to their families, and Caspian and I stood waiting for everyone to get off the ship before Caspian called for everyone's attention.

"From this day on, we have with us, High Queen Lucy the Valiant!" Caspian announced, surprising me, and I waved my hand as everyone cheered and bowed. Much to my surprise and pleasure, Trumpkin and Glenstorm greeted us, both hugging me tightly before we turned to the Mice, every one of them wondering where their leader was.

"Peepiceep," Caspian said, kneeling down to talk to Reepicheep's second-in-command. "Reep told me to make sure that you knew he was happy in Aslan's Country, and that you will now be the Mice's leader."

"Yes, Your Majesty," the Mouse said, informing the other Mice. I smiled sadly as they all took a moment of silence for their chief. Then they set to work, making sure all the Narnians got to their families and back home before Peepiceep reported to Caspian that everyone was safe.

"Thank you, Peepiceep," Caspian said, exchanging a nod with the Mouse. We headed back to Cair Paravel, restored to its usual glimmering glory. I went to my old room, quickly claiming it before Liliandil could, so she was left with Susan's old room. I smiled to myself. Not only was Susan's room farther down the hall than the rest of the other rooms—for some odd reason, Su liked the secluded room best—but it was also noticeably smaller than the other rooms. Also, my room was right next to Peter's old room, which Caspian now occupied.

As I walked through my door, I was greeted by some maids who were cleaning the room and also by a girl about Edmund's age that introduced herself as Julia and told me she would be my maidservant. I nodded to them, and inquired about my clothing, as I was still wearing Caspian's old ship clothes at the moment. Julia told me it would be taken care of right away, and got a seamstress in the room. I sighed in contentment as the woman fitted me; back to my old Queen self.

Once the seamstress was finished fitting me, Julia ran a bath in the restroom adjoined to my bedroom. I spent a good amount of time in the hot water and bubbles, because Julia came in and told me that my first custom dress was finished. She helped me dry off and put on my corset. Luckily, this dress didn't require any petticoats, but rather a simple slip. I put the dress on with some help from Julia and other maids. As I twirled in front of the mirror, I couldn't help but think I looked better than Susan had in any of her old dresses. It was an off-the-shoulder type of dress, so it revealed my shoulders and neck, but had long sleeves that were tightly fitted at the top, and became loose and long near the bottom. The bodice was tightly fitted, just like the top of the sleeves, and hugged my curves. The skirt wasn't poofy like you see in fairy tales back in my old world, but rather was tight at the waist, and spread out gently until it reached the floor. The shoes that went with it were a pair of flats. The whole dress was a beautiful pale turquoise, and the shoes were a dark turquoise. The color really brought out the red in my hair and made my grey-blue eyes look more grey than blue, but I actually liked it.

Instead of the side-ponytail I'd had my long hair in the entire time I was on the _Dawn Treader_, I allowed Julia to do it into a complicated up do. She braided the sides of my hair and the underside and pulled it up into a sloppy bun that looked really pretty. I knew just by looking at it that I wouldn't have been able to do it on my own, just because of the braids all around. I also put on a necklace with a silver chain and a deep turquoise heart pendant. Julia came up to me and held out something silver and shiny on a pillow, and I looked at it, recognizing it as my crown. I nodded to her, and a different maid took the pillow while she put it on my head.

My crown was shaped into a thin band with silver leaves and white flowers. As I looked, I noticed that all my siblings' crowns had been moved into my room and were sitting peacefully in a glass case, all on royal purple pillows. I looked, recognizing Susan's crown easily. Hers was a thin band like mine, but had gold leaves and flowers on it. Edmund's crown was more like what you would consider a crown. His was silver with silver leaves like mine, and what looked like it would be rope looped around until it reached the leaves in each point again. Of course Peter's was most majestic, because he'd been the High King. His was gold with a star at the center and a little ruby in the center of the star. Gold leaves were on the tops of the points, starting to spread away from each other, to reveal three different gold leaves on each point.

I sighed and stepped away from the glass to see that everyone had left to give me some privacy. Then I heard a knock on my door. I allowed the person to come in as I continued to study my siblings' crowns. I heard a small gasp, and turned to see Caspian standing there, his eyes wide. I blushed.

"What?" I asked.

"You look…beautiful," he managed, looking up into my eyes and smiling. He offered his arm, and I laced my own through it as we walked down the hall to go fetch Liliandil from her room. Caspian knocked on the door and Liliandil opened it, also wearing a different dress than before, but hers was one of Susan's old ones. It was a powdery blue with quarter-length sleeves that weren't off-the-shoulder, a more-loose bodice that didn't hug her curves like it had when Susan had worn it, and a skirt poofier than mine. It was paired with Susan's old pair of powdery blue pumps and a thin silver necklace. Her hair was simply pulled back into a bun, and not anything special was done with it. I couldn't help but remember that Susan looked a lot better in that dress…and it was actually one of my sister's more fanciful dresses. Liliandil made it look more casual.

"Yes, what is it?" she asked, at first only looking at me, but her face lighting up when she noticed Caspian.

"We're going for a walk in the garden. Would you like to join us?" he asked.

"Oh, no thank you. If you don't mind, I'd just like to rest for a couple of days. That trip was very long and tiring." I couldn't help but roll my eyes and think, _You should have been there when we were actually sailing east._ I could tell Caspian was thinking the same thing, but was also relieved she hadn't agreed to go walking in the garden with us.

As we walked through the halls of Cair—the familiar halls I had missed so much—we talked easily. Caspian would ask me about what Luke and I would talk about and where we would go, what we would do. We finally reached the garden and I gasped as I looked around. All my favorite flowers were planted there. There were mostly roses—red was the main color, because that was my favorite type of rose—but there were also gardenias, Gerber daisies, lilies, irises, and every other type of flower I said I loved. I spun around, a huge smile on my face as I took in my surroundings. My blue eyes finally locked with Caspian's brown ones and he smiled.

"I had it made in your name, hoping that you'd come back one day and see it," he admitted, looking around before back at me. "Do you like it?"

"I love it!" I exclaimed, leaning down and smelling a red rose, loving the sweet scent that came off of it. I stood up and ran over to Caspian, throwing my arms around him and inhaling his scent—the forest outside of Cair after a rainfall—mixed with the sweet, harmonious scents of the flowers surrounding us.

"Thank you, Caspian," I whispered, burying my face in his neck as I hugged him tightly. He seemed surprised at first, but willingly hugged me back.

"Of course," he answered, and I pulled back to look into his eyes. They were full of happiness, content, and…a look I didn't recognize. But I brushed off my confusion as we continued walking through the garden.


	4. Caspian Needs an Heir

Dear One

Chapter 4) Caspian Needs an Heir

After the walk in the garden, Trumpkin came to get Caspian, requesting his private counsel.

"Of course," Caspian said, looking at me apologetically, but I waved my hand in dismissal and pushed him towards Trumpkin, telling him to go and that I was fine by myself.

About a minute after the two left, I was walking through the garden again, coming to a little bench when I heard a voice behind me.

"You're High Queen Lucy the Valiant, aren't you?" I turned around and found myself looking at the most adorable little grey wolf cub I'd ever seen.

"Yes, that's me," I answered, smiling at her. She jumped up onto the bench and gave a little bow with her grey head.

"It is a great honor to meet you, Your Majesty," the cub said. "My name is Laika." I sat down next to her on the bench and smiled.

"It's nice to meet you, too, Laika. And please, call me Lucy." I gestured to the way Caspian and Trumpkin had headed off to. No doubt they were just getting into the hallway and hadn't started their counsel yet. "Do you know what this whole 'private counsel' thing is all about?" The wolf cub looked around, then hopped off the bench and gestured with her tail for me to follow her. I complied, and we walked through the garden and into Cair through a secret passageway that I recognized.

"Hey, I know this passageway!" I said suddenly. "Mr. Tumnus and I used to sneak out of the throne room during times when my sister would receive suitors in the throne room. It led to many different places, but my favorite place to go was always the garden." Laika smiled at me and we reached the little door that was hidden behind my throne. I opened it slightly to hear the men who just reached the throne room. I opened the door more and crawled through slightly to peek around my throne so I could see. Caspian crossed to the far window in the room and stared out for a few minutes before turning to look at Trumpkin, who was pacing the floor, a troubled look on his face.

"Trumpkin, what _is_ this all about?" Caspian demanded, crossing his arms across his chest. The only other person there was Glenstorm, and he was looking at Trumpkin as well, his expression unreadable, but I knew he was wondering what was on Trumpkin's mind just like Caspian was. Finally Trumpkin stopped pacing and looked up at the king, the troubled expression never leaving his face.

"My king…Drinian told me about the close fight with the sea serpent. It would be a catastrophe if you were to die without an heir. You need to marry." I couldn't help but let out a small, quiet gasp. Caspian's arms dropped in surprise as he stared at Trumpkin, who started to pace again. "There are plenty of options, Your Majesty. There's the princess from Calormen, or that young woman you brought back with you…Liliandil, was it?" I would have gasped again if it didn't get stuck in my throat. Trumpkin really expected Caspian to marry Liliandil? Wait…why did I care so much who he married? And what was that odd feeling in my stomach when I thought of the two married with a child?

It didn't matter. I crawled back into the secret passageway and closed the door. I ran out towards the path that led completely out of Cair, towards the forest. I ran through the trees, ignoring the branches scratching at my exposed shoulders and tearing my sleeves. Hot tears streamed down my cheeks, though I didn't quite know why. I couldn't be jealous of Liliandil; Caspian was just my friend. And I didn't even know if he had agreed to marry her or not. I finally collapsed in the middle of the trees, hardly noticing it when it began to rain. After a few minutes, everything went black.

I opened my eyes to the sound of people calling my name in a panic. I sat up and called out to them to let them know where I was. Glenstorm found me and called to Caspian that he had found me. I saw my friend come up to me, riding on his horse Destrier. He hopped off of his horse and walked over to me, dropping down next to me and pulling me into a tight hug. When he pulled back, I noticed that Glenstorm had left to go tell the others in the search party that I'd been found. I turned back to Caspian.

"Lucy, what happened to you?" he asked, holding me at arm's length. I wanted so badly to tell him, but that meant telling him that I'd been spying on his private counsel with Trumpkin, and I wasn't quite prepared for that. So I shook my head. That motion made me dizzy and I almost tipped over when Caspian caught me. He pressed his hand gently to my forehead and sighed, muttering the word "fever" along with something I didn't catch. He got onto Destrier and helped me up, holding me tightly against him with one arm and holding Detrier's reins in his other hand. We reached Cair again, and he got me to my room, allowing Julia and the maids to clean me up and change me into my nightgown before I went to bed.

That night was cold and the storm outside scared me. The thunder would crash and the lightning would flash, making me jump each time. I couldn't help but remember the night on the _Dawn Treader_ when I'd fallen asleep next to Caspian. His wonderful scent soothed me and his body heat kept me warm. My own body heat wasn't doing much for me at the moment, as I was lying under my covers curled up in a ball shivering. I got out of my bed, my body convulsing with shivers as the cold air hit my skin. I walked out of my own room and into Caspian's room quietly. He sat up as soon as I entered and smiled at me, asking me if I was unable to sleep. I nodded and explained that it was cold in my room. He chuckled lightly and patted the bed next to him. I crawled under the covers next to him, sighing as I felt his warmth engulf me, sighing in contentment and closing my eyes. I was surprised when I felt him wrap his arm around my waist but invited the warm, loving gesture and fell asleep.


	5. Ill Lucy

**Thank you so much to everyone for the reviews! I'm soooo glad people like my series!**

Chapter 5) Ill Lucy

The next morning, I woke up with my forehead pressed against Caspian's bare chest and his arms wrapped around me, holding me tight against him, almost as if he was afraid to let me go. His breathing was normal, letting me know that he was awake. I shifted so I could look at his face, and the first thing I saw was the gentle, warm brown of his eyes. He smiled when he saw me awake.

"Good morning," he whispered.

"Hi," I whispered back, blushing and hiding my face in his chest again. He chuckled and kissed the top of my head. Then I felt the mood change from soft and light to tense and serious. I looked back up at him, but he wasn't looking at me. Instead, he was staring at the far wall, a troubled look on his face. I reached up and touched his cheek lightly and he looked down at me, his face still troubled.

"What is it?" I asked, worried. He sighed and closed his eyes, shutting me out from reading what he was thinking the way I usually could. When he opened them again, they held…confusion and frustration.

"Lucy, in the private counsel…Trumpkin told me I needed to marry so that I could have an heir. He talked about my 'close call' with the sea serpent, and suggested that I marry soon." I took a deep breath, trying to remain calm. I found my hand was trembling and I pulled it away from where it was on his cheek so he wouldn't notice. "He suggested Liliandil as a wife." I took a shaky intake of breath, unable to continue looking him in the eye. I could tell he noticed, but continued on anyway as if he hadn't. "I tried to explain to him that I'm not in love with her, and it would be horrid for a man not to love his wife. But he pressed on, saying that if I were to spend more time with her, I would find I actually like her quite a bit and end up falling in love with her. So I consented with telling him I'd think about it. I'm to spend the afternoon with her." He seemed exasperated by this, a fact I took comfort in.

Though I'd never felt love for anyone outside of my family before, I could recognize the signs that Susan had told me to show that a woman was in love with a man: one, she gets sad and jealous at the thought of the man spending time with another woman. Check. Two, when the man says he isn't in love with another woman, it makes you feel hopeful at having a chance with him yourself. Check. Three, you want to rip the other woman's hair out when she shows off/flaunts around the man. Check. Four, whenever he spends his time with you, you get this fuzzy, happy feeling inside. Check. There were other signs, but I couldn't check them off just yet. I wasn't entirely sure of my feelings for Caspian, so I couldn't tell quite yet if I was really in love with him…but I knew I fancied him in a big way.

Just then I shivered—well, no that's putting it mildly. A tremor ran through my body and I felt Caspian's arms tighten around me. When he sighed, it sounded worried, not exasperated like it had before. He reluctantly pulled away from me and got out of the bed, leaving me trembling there while he got an extra blanket and wrapped it around me. Afterwards he threw on a shirt and picked me up, carrying me into my room.

"Your Majesties," Julia said, nodding respectfully at us as we passed her in the hallways. She was about to leave when Caspian stopped her.

"Julia, wait. Lucy has a fever. I don't know how high it is, so I don't know how serious her illness is. Would you mind helping?"

"Of course, Your Highness," Julia answered, her kind, green eyes filling with worry when she found out the news. She opened my bedroom door for Caspian so that he wouldn't have to set me down, and hurried off to get the nurse while he put me in my bed, which felt even colder since I hadn't been sleeping in it, and I'd been in Caspian's warm, inviting arms all night.

After the nurse took my temperature—which came out to 102 degrees—Caspian said he had some quick business to attend to and would be back as soon as possible. I hated to see him go—another sign a woman was falling in love with a man—but I agreed and tried to relax as much as I could with my body still trembling violently. Julia put a few more blankets on the bed and a cool, damp cloth on my forehead.

I must have fallen asleep because when I opened my eyes again, Julia and the nurse were gone and Caspian was sitting a few feet away from the bed on the window seat, staring out into the storm raging outside. He looked over at me and got up from his seat and stepped over to the bed, sitting in the chair he probably pulled up when he saw me awake.

"How are you feeling?" he asked, his brow creased with worry. I forgot how serious a cold in Narnia was in comparison to a cold in my old world. The thought made me giggle slightly.

"Better," I admitted, still giggling.

"What's so funny?"

"Oh, well in my old world, I would take medicine to get rid of a cold. It's quite funny to think that something like a common cold is serious here." I wrinkled my nose as I remembered taking the medicine. "It tasted horrible, though. It was _supposed_ to taste like _cherry_, or _grape_ to disguise the bitter taste, but the flavoring always made it worse." Caspian laughed, too. I was happy to see him smile again. All this morning he seemed so serious. I reached out a hand and gently touched his cheek. He closed his eyes and sighed, putting his hand on top of mine, as if to keep it there. I felt as if I had butterflies fluttering around wildly in my stomach at this simple gesture—yet another one of Susan's signs.

"I hate to see you sad," I whispered. He opened his eyes; the soft, gentle brown of them penetrating through my own eyes, and I felt as if he was looking straight through to my soul—yes, it sounds corny, but it's true! Suddenly I remembered what he said this morning about spending the afternoon with Liliandil, and also the mention of "quick business" earlier before he left. My curiosity took over, and I looked him straight in the eye.

"Weren't you supposed to spend time with Liliandil today?" He laughed at my sudden change of subject.

"Yes, but because you're sick, I told her I wouldn't be able to." He looked at me, a curious look on his face. "She really doesn't seem to like you," he added after a moment's thought. I laughed aloud.

"Did you just now realize that?"

"No…I was just now making it known."

"Well, I've known it for a while, thank you," I laughed. Just then, I let out a huge yawn and my eyes started to close. Caspian came over and kissed my forehead.

The last words I heard before I drifted off to sleep were, "Sleep well, my valiant queen."


	6. The Ball

Chapter 6) The Ball

A few days passed before my fever burned off, but once it did, I was up and about. As soon as I was well again, Caspian informed me that there was to be a ball in two days' time. The day of he stopped by my room to remind me that it was at nightfall, and to be ready.

"Men and women from both Calormen and Archenland will be there," he told me. "But remember to save a dance for me."

"You, too," I answered, giggling. "I'm sure you'll be popular tonight." He chuckled and kissed my hand before excusing himself to go see to the preparations. Something struck me as I watched him leave before Julia and other maids started getting me ready. Had Caspian flirting with me? And had I been flirting back? The answer to both was clear: yes. It was another one of Susan's _signs_.

Thinking of my sister made guilt was over me. What would she do if she knew about my growing interest in Caspian? Did she even care? She never spoke about Narnia in any of her letters. Did she forget about it? How could anyone forget about Narnia? It seemed impossible…at least to me. But I'd always been the one closest to it and Aslan more than the others—even Peter stopped speaking of Narnia after a while.

"…lady? Lucy?" Julia's voice pulled me out of my stupor. I blinked and turned to her, her soft, green eyes filled with worry.

"Yes?"

"Are you all right, my lady? You've had a strange look on your face for a while now." I felt sheepish. Was I really letting my emotions play out on my face, allowing people to read me like an open book? I couldn't let Caspian see me like this; I'd never hear the end of it. I put on a smile for Julia—who didn't know me as well as Caspian—and shrugged.

"Just nerves, I guess." She nodded, convinced, and continued working on my ball gown.

During the time the seamstress was working on my dress, there was a soft knock on my door. Julia opened it for me, revealing a distressed-looking Liliandil. Intrigued as to why she was here, I allowed her in and dismissed the maids. I closed the door behind them, and turned to see Ramandu's daughter pacing nervously and stopped her, looking into her bright, blue eyes, currently filled to the brim with distress.

"Liliandil, what's wrong?" I asked.

"Oh, Lucy, I-I know I've been acting terribly towards you, and it was a horrible thing to do. But…I'm extremely envious of you."

"Envious?" I echoed, raising my eyebrows at her.

"Yes! Caspian likes you, Lucy, it's plain to see. But I fancy him, and he doesn't think anything of me."

"Liliandil…don't you think it's because you come on too strong?

"Beg pardon?" she asked after a moment's silence. I repeated my question, and she thought about it for a moment more before nodding.

"Maybe if you hung back a little, he might take interest in you."

"That's possible," she admitted, nodding again.

"You know, I'll bet he even asks you to dance tonight!" I said. As soon as the words left my mouth, I regretted them. The truth was, I didn't want him to dance with her. I wanted him to myself tonight. _Don't be selfish, Lucy,_ I told myself as Liliandil thanked me and left. _One or two dances with won't hurt._

That night, as I stood at the top of the stairwell in the ballroom, I couldn't help but feel confident. I was wearing a ball gown that looked a bit like Cinderella's but was silver instead of blue. My red-brown waves were pulled up into a high ponytail, and my silver crown—glinting in the light—topped off the look. I wasn't wearing glass slippers, but I wasn't planning on running away at midnight.

"Ladies and gentleman," Glenstorm called out from the bottom of the stairs, "High Queen Lucy the Valiant of Narnia." A light shone on me as I descended the stairs, applause erupting from the people below. Caspian stood beside Glenstorm, smiling at me. He took my hand and kissed it lightly before asking me to dance. I agreed and he led us out onto the dance floor, taking me into his arms as the song shifted.

"You look beautiful, Lucy," he whispered in my ear. I smiled and thanked him with a quick peck on the cheek.

After a few dances with me, I convinced him to go dance with Liliandil for a while and I danced with a young man from Calormen. After about three dances, Caspian cut in. I waved at the man and he blushed as he walked away.

"That was quick," I commented casually, though I was happy to be back with him. I found I felt more comfortable with Caspian than men from Calormen and Archenland—especially men from Archenland.

"Yes. I told her I had other girls to dance with," he said, winking at me. I laughed and rolled my eyes at him.

"You're horrible!" I teased.

"Oh, so you're saying you don't want me to dance with you?"

"I never said that." There it was again—the flirting. I didn't mind; it's not like it was a bad thing. But I still felt a pang of guilt every time I would flirt back with him, because I always thought of Susan. Finally, I decided to bring her up in conversation, just to see Caspian's reaction.

"Susan would have loved to be here. She lived for events like these."

"Yeah, that sounds like your sister." I nodded in agreement, but then noticed something and looked up into his warm, brown eyes.

"Why do you always call her that?"

"Because she's…your sister…?"

"Yes, but you never call her by her name in front of me. Why?"

"I don't know. Just a reflex, I suppose." He looked at me with a curious expression. "Is that the only reason you brought her up?" Darn it. It was the "open book" scenario all over again, except Caspian knew me much better than Julia did. I put on a confused expression.

"Yes. Why?"

"Well, Julia informed me you were acting strange earlier." Crap. He didn't buy my act at all. He knew me far too well. "And Liliandil brought you up as well." I tensed up. What had she told him? I shot him a quick, panicked look, but he wasn't looking at me anymore. He was focused on something behind me. I didn't dare look. I was almost afraid to see. By the time he looked back at me, I had forced myself to look nonchalant.

"Oh?" I inquired as if I didn't care less what Ramandu's daughter said about me.

"Yeah. She said she'd talked to you earlier—before the ball, I mean—and now you're on good terms. What exactly did you say to her to change her opinion about you so quickly?"

"Oh, nothing," I answered, shrugging and feeling greatly relieved. "Girl stuff." Well, it wasn't a _complete_ lie. After that, Caspian dropped the subject and went back to teasing me and flirting with me. The rest of the night was a breeze.


	7. The Death of a Loved One

**Yay! I have a regular reader! Thank you, eternallystarcrossed2010! And as for your question on the last chapter, he's supposed to have been looking over at Liliandil.**

After the ball, Caspian told me Trumpkin insisted the king spend more time with Liliandil. Trumpkin was one of my greatest friends, sure, but this particular decision of his frustrated me. Couldn't my dear little friend see the growing relationship between me and Caspian? Of course, the past few weeks he'd spent entirely with Liliandil, so I wondered to myself if this "relationship" was all in my head.

One day, while I was by myself, I decided to saddle up my chestnut Arabian horse, Leilani, and go for a horse back ride on the beach. Destrier's saddle was right next to Leilani's, so I gave him an apple before turning to my own horse. As soon as I had her saddle and bridle on her, I heard the door open. I expected it to be the stable boy, but, to my surprise, Caspian and Liliandil came in.

"Oh, Lucy," he said, smiling politely—a type of smile he never gave me. "I didn't know you were in here."

"Yeah, I'm just taking Leilani for a ride on the beach," I answered, not returning the smile.

"Oh, that's where we're going. Would you like to join us?" Caspian offered. I shook my head, never lifting my eyes to meet his gaze. I didn't know how much he enjoyed being with Liliandil before. Just then, I spotted something silver and shiny on Liliandil's left hand.

"Wh-what's that?" I asked, nodding at it.

"Oh!" Liliandil exclaimed, lifting her hand to show me a ring. "We're getting married!"

I felt the air escape my lungs and my throat grow tight. I felt as if the walls were closing in on me. I had to get away from there, away from them, but most importantly, I had to get away from _him_. I shoved past them, leading Leilani outside before hopping up on the saddle and galloping away, ignoring Caspian calling my name behind me.

CASPIAN'S POV

I don't know how it happened. One moment, I couldn't stand being around Liliandil, and the next I'm betrothed to her. Now that we were getting married, I felt it the perfect time to take her somewhere special. It felt weird to suggest the garden, so I suggested a horse back ride on the beach.

As we entered the stable, I saw Lucy there, petting her horse. Guilt washed over me. I'd completely forgotten about her in the past few weeks I'd been spending with Liliandil. She looked up at me, seeming surprised. I felt it appropriate to smile, but I gave her a smile I'd never given her before. It even felt foreign to me.

"Oh, Lucy. I didn't know you were in here." She looked down at the floor, seeming uncomfortable—an odd thing for her.

"Yeah, I was just taking Leilani for a ride on the beach." I noticed that she didn't smile back, or even lift her eyes.

"Oh, that's where we're going. Would you like to join us?" Though it should have been expected, I felt disappointed when she shook her head. Then something caught her eye.

"Wh-what's that?" she asked, nodding at whatever she had seen. When Liliandil lifted her hand and announced that we were betrothed, I could see the hurt and betrayal in Lucy's eyes. I tried to reach out to her, but she shoved her way past me, leading Leilani out with her.

"Lucy, wait," I pleaded as she mounted the saddle. "Lucy, please. Lucy!" She ignored me as she urged her horse into a gallop, heading off into the forest. I was about to go back in and saddle up Destrier when Liliandil stopped me.

"It'll be all right, Caspian. She's just upset. She'll be back in a few hours or so. Do you still want to go on that ride?"

"No. You can go, though." With that, I turned and walked back to Cair.

Liliandil was wrong. Hours passed, and Lucy never came back. I finally saddled up in a panic when Leilani came back and Lucy wasn't in the saddle, or leading the horse into the stable. I met a talking fox by the name of Redd who had seen Lucy and offered to follow her scent for me.

"That would be very helpful." Redd led me through the forest for a long while until the trail ended at a river. Even across the river—where a fog was surrounding the area—the scent didn't pick up again.

"Thank you, Redd," I said, exasperated. "You've been a great help."

"Of course, Your Majesty," the fox answered, bowing before running off into the forest. I got off of Destrier and led him to the river to drink while I sat by it, staring into the water. I put my head in my hands, feeling distressed and guilt-ridden for Lucy's disappearance.

"Please keep her safe, Aslan," I prayed quietly. I lifted my head and stood, about to turn Destrier around when I spotted something across the river. When I looked closer, I saw that it was Lucy's dagger, stuck in a tree. I hadn't seen it before because of the fog, but now it was clear as daylight. My breathing stopped when I realized something. Lucy had felt threatened and had to pull out her dagger. Now she was without horse or weapon and was probably trapped wherever she was.

I jumped up into Destrier's saddle and took him across the river, grabbing Lucy's dagger from the tree and putting it in my belt to give back to her when I found her. I urged my horse forward, desperate to find anything else of Lucy's, or even Lucy herself. After a while of nothing, I was going to turn around and head back to Cair Paravel to gather a search party when I spotted Lucy's cloak. I jumped off of Destrier and ran over to it, relief running through me for a split second when I saw that it was Lucy herself. But panic gripped me again when I saw that she was unconscious and had a large gash on the left side of her forehead.

"Oh, no, Lucy," I whispered, looking desperately for her healing cordial, but found that she didn't have it with her. She was barely breathing, not moving at all, and her pulse was weak. How long had she been laying there bleeding? I looked down at the ground and cursed when I saw how much blood was on the forest floor. I tore fabric from my own cloak and pressed it gently to the cut on her head. She didn't react, which made me worry. She'd already lost most feeling in her body.

I managed to get her up into Destrier's saddle before I mounted myself. I held her limp body tight against mine as I rode back in a gallop towards Cair Paravel. I got her back in record time, and was pacing the floor outside her room while the nurses worked over her. Finally one of the nurses came out with an upset look on her face.

"Sire, I'm afraid Queen Lucy…is gone."


	8. Brought Back

**Don't hate me for the last chapter! I couldn't leave you guys hanging like that, though, since I myself wasn't too fond of the ending. Yes, Lucy's death sucks! But please, please, please, please don't kill me!**

CASPIAN'S POV

"She's what?" I whispered, watching the nurse nod sadly before I ran into the room and fell to my knees next to the bed where Lucy's lifeless body lay. "No, no, Lucy." I shook my head and cupped her cheek gently, pressing my forehead against hers, closing my eyes. I didn't look up when the nurses left, but finally lifted my head when I heard a deep, familiar voice.

"This is the Witch's doing," Aslan said, sitting down next to me with a sad look in hid golden eyes. "She was not meant to die. She had a whole life ahead of her." I shook my head again.

"She should have gone back to her world. This never would have happened."

"You should not think that way. She chose to stay in Narnia because that was what she wished for herself." He paused and looked at me. "Do you want me to bring her back?"

"Please." That was the only word I could manage. Aslan stood and breathed gently on Lucy's face, before turning and walking away. I turned to thank him, but he was gone as quickly as he had come. I turned back to Lucy. The wound on her forehead had disappeared, the color returned to her face, and she began breathing again. Her beautiful, blue eyes fluttered open and she sat up with a puzzled look on her face, looking around.

"Caspian? Wha—" she was cut off when I pulled her into my arms. But instead of returning the hug, she pushed me away. I looked at her, hurt, before remembering that she was mad at me.

"Lucy, I—"

"Get out."

"What?"

"Get out of my room." I started to reach out to her, but I pulled my hand back when I caught her glaring at me. I stood, the pain of her anger coursing through me as I left the room.

LUCY'S POV

I watched Caspian leave with a glare, but as soon as I was alone, I buried my face in my pillow and began to cry. I realized before I had died just why I felt so betrayed by his betrothal to Liliandil. I was in love with him.

I couldn't sleep that night; my dreams were full of my own death. I'd been riding Leilani through the forest and had just crossed a river when I heard a chilling voice call out to me and I pulled Leilani's reins suddenly in a panic, causing her to rear and throw me from her back. A thick, white fog was instantly surrounding us, spooking my horse and causing her to rear again before running away. As I watched her go, I felt someone pull my dagger from my belt and used it to try to stab me, but I moved, and instead got a deep cut in my forehead. I cried out in pain and put my hand up to the wound. When I pulled it away, it was covered in blood. I felt something hard hit me in the back of the head and everything went black as I fell to the ground. The last thing I heard was the Witch's evil laughter. Then the next thing I knew, I was in my room, looking into Caspian's warm, brown eyes. He'd seemed so happy…and all I'd done was push him away.

I was tossing and turning as I thought and didn't hear my bedroom door open. I only knew it had when light streamed in from the hallway. I jumped out of bed and grabbed my dagger—which Caspian had returned—from my bedside table when whoever had opened the door walked in. The person—a man—paused and held his hands up, showing me he wasn't armed.

"It's just me, Lucy," I heard Caspian say. I relaxed my defensive position and scowled at him, setting my dagger back down on the side table with a light _thud_.

"What do you want, Caspian?" I demanded, crossing my arms and staring at him.

"Can I talk to you without you pulling a weapon on me?" he asked, putting his hands down and smiling slightly. I pursed my lips, resisting the urge to grin.

"Fine," I agreed stubbornly after a moment. While he closed the door and came to sit on the edge of my bed, I turned and lit the candle on my bedside table, blinking in the sudden light for a moment. Then I turned and crawled back under my covers and sat cross-legged facing him. He was looking down, and took a deep breath before looking up at me and letting it out.

"I'm sorry."

"You should be."

"I am."

"Why are you marrying her? Do you _love_ her?"

"No."

"Do you have _feelings_ for her?"

"No."

"Then why are you marrying her?"

"I don't know."

"That's not an answer."

"Narnia needs a queen, Lucy."

"What am I, chopped liver?"

"Why are you so upset that I'm getting married?" That shut me up. He didn't love me. I just knew it. There was no way I could tell him I was in love with him when I knew he didn't feel the same way. I shook my head, trying to hold back the tears now threatening to fall.

"I'm not upset."

"You are."

"I'm just…concerned."

"Lucy," he said, lifting my chin. "You know I know you better than that." My heart fluttered at the proximity between us, and I knew I was supposed to be mad at him, but I couldn't bring myself to pull away. Everything in me wanted to close that gap, to kiss him and tell him how I felt…but I couldn't. Caspian surprised me by leaning closer to me. It wasn't until our lips were almost touching that I stopped him.

"Don't," I whispered. He took a deep breath and leaned away again. I cleared my throat and looked at him.

"So, um…when's the wedding?" An amused look crossed his face at my sudden change of subject.

"A week," he answered. I caught my breath. So soon? "So are we okay?" he added. I looked into his eyes and nodded.

"Yeah."

"Good." He pulled me into a tight hug. "I can't tell you how upset I was when I lost you today. What exactly happened?" When I explained it to him, I felt his body stiffen and his arms tighten around me. He whispered a quiet apology and kissed the top of my head before leaving.

The next morning, he came to my door as soon as I was done getting dressed.

"Hey," he said when I let him in. He took in my green, off-the-shoulder sundress and flats with an amazed expression before chuckling and shaking his head. "You never fail to amaze me, you know that?"

"Well, thank you," I said, blushing lightly. My thoughts flashed to the night before, when he was about to kiss me, and I blushed even more.

"Um…Liliandil is looking for you. She says she wants to talk to you about something."

"Okay." I thanked him and left to go find Ramandu's daughter and see what it was she wanted.


	9. A Bridesmaid? Seriously!

**Yeah, people are pretty much ready to murder me right now, but this is the plot! Yes, I know, eternallystarcrossed2010, I didn't like the ending myself, but I know where I want the story to go, and Lucy dying actually helped. Believe me, it'll all work out in the end.**

LUCY'S POV

When I reached Liliandil's room, I found her outside the door, pacing nervously. She looked up and a smile brightened her face when she saw me.

"Lucy!" she exclaimed, rushing up to me and grabbing my wrist before dragging me into her room and closing the door. "I need to ask a favor of you!"

"Um…okay?" I agreed hesitantly, my curiosity taking over.

"I want you to be my maid of honor in the wedding!" Well, that's not what I'd been expecting at all. I was about to say no when something came over me, and I agreed. I instantly regretted it, knowing I'd be tortured during the entire wedding. I was now wishing I'd gone back to England just so I wouldn't have to suffer this. As soon as I said yes, Liliandil squealed excitedly and pulled me over to her wardrobe.

"Do you think you'll fit your sister's old clothes? I found the perfect dress for you!"

"Yeah. And if they don't fit right, I can always have the seamstress fix it up for me."

"Yay!" She pulled out a dress and I gasped. It was the same dress Susan had worn to our coronation. I reached out and stroked the soft, blue fabric as tears sprung up in my eyes.

"Liliandil…I can't wear this. This was Susan's coronation dress."

"Well, here. You should at least keep it." I took it and smiled at her, laying it out on the bed for now. I looked back in the wardrobe and recognized several of Susan's dresses: the dress she'd worn to Tashbaan, the dress she'd been wearing the day we left Narnia for the first time, the dress she'd warn during the battle against the Telmarines, and the dress she'd worn the before leaving Narnia for the last time. My eyes stopped on one right next to my sister's last dress. It was the one she'd worn during her first courting, and I was surprised she'd kept it. It was blue—surprise, surprise—with off-the-shoulder sleeves and a flowing skirt with patterns of flowers and swirls embroidered into it in a slightly darker blue.

"This one's okay," I said, pointing at it.

"Yeah, that one's pretty," Liliandil agreed, smiling and pulling it out for me. After I had the seamstress fix it up so it fit right, Liliandil told me to take the dresses that were special to me. In the end, I only took the coronation dress and the dress Susan had worn during the hunting of the white stag.

As I walked back to my room, Caspian caught up to me and asked what Liliandil had wanted. I didn't want to tell him that I was a bridesmaid—I'd told Liliandil not to tell him—and so I told him that his fiancée had called me in to gather the dresses of Susan's that were special to me. Well, it wasn't a _complete_ lie.

"Is that all?"

"Yes."

"Wait, isn't that...Susan's coronation dress?"

"Yes. I don't think anyone else should ever wear it, so I'm going to have it put in a glass case in my room. And this is the one she'd worn during the hunting of the white stag, which I'm going to put in my wardrobe next to the one I'd been wearing the same day."

"What about your coronation dress?" I stopped walking and looked at him.

"You still have that?" I whispered.

"Yes."

"But that was five years ago…" I paused when I saw his expression. "I mean, 1,303 years for you, but…oh, you know what I mean." I started walking again and we reached my room. I asked Julia to have Susan's coronation dress put in a glass case for me and one of the other maids took my sister's violet dress and hung it up in the wardrobe next to my maroon one.

"So your wedding is in a week, huh?" I said casually when Julia and the other maids left, leaving just me and Caspian in my room.

"Mm-hmm," he answered, sitting on the edge of the bed and sighing. I sat down next to him and lifted his face to study his expression. He looked troubled. He took my hand and chuckled. "What are you staring at?" he asked.

"You don't look happy that you're getting married."

"I thought we established last night that I don't actually _love_ Liliandil. I'm doing this for the good of Narnia."

"Yes, so you've told me."

"You're hiding something from me," he said after a few minutes.

"What makes you think that?"

"That doesn't matter. What are you hiding from me?"

"I'm not hiding anything, honestly." Now _that_ was a lie. I was hiding about three things from him. One, I was in love with him. Two, I was to be Liliandil's maid of honor in the wedding. And three, I was wishing that I'd gone back to England to avoid all of the torture I'm feeling now. I thought about running away, into the forest, but I shuddered at the thought. I knew what evil lay hidden in there; it had killed me.

As I thought, I felt Caspian gently stroking my cheek. I looked up into his eyes again, catching my breath when I noticed the proximity between us. He leaned in again, and this time I didn't stop him when his lips came close to touching mine. I really wanted him to kiss me this time. But, to my disappointment, he stopped when our lips were a few centimeters from touching. Neither he nor I pulled away from the other, and finally I felt his lips press gently against mine.

I pulled back abruptly and stood from the bed, touching my lips lightly and staring at his bewildered expression. I looked down at the ground, blushing deeply. What was going on? He didn't love me, at least not in the way I loved him…did he? No, he couldn't. If he did, he wouldn't be marrying Liliandil. Then why had he kissed me?

"Lucy, I—"

"I think you should leave," I whispered, though it wasn't what I wanted. I wanted him to stay, to kiss me again, say he loved me and that it was me he wanted to marry, not her. But I knew that wasn't going to happen. I watched him get up and walk out of the room, closing the door behind him without a word. Not one word.

CASPIAN'S POV

I wasn't quite sure of my feelings for Lucy before. I'd been so confused about what I would think every time I saw her. Thoughts like, "She's so beautiful," and, "I wonder what she's thinking about," run through my mind every time I'm with her. But when my lips touched hers for the first time…I knew. I hadn't been lying when I said it wasn't Liliandil I loved. The night before, I wasn't sure who I loved. But now I knew. I was in love with Lucy, and I was almost certain that she was in love with me.

Now the question stands: is it too late?


	10. Wedding Preparations

**Yay! I'm so glad people like my story! Keep the reviews coming! Oh, and just so you guys know, school's starting Wednesday, so I won't update nearly as much when it does start. Okay, get ready for more suspense, 'cause that's my thing!**

CASPIAN'S POV

It was two days until the wedding and Lucy and I had hardly spoken a word to each other since the night I kissed her. Every day, Liliandil got more and more excited about the wedding. At one point during this long week, my fiancée told me that Lucy was to be her maid of honor, and I wondered why Lu hadn't told me that herself.

I was sitting in my room when Liliandil knocked and came in, dragging Lucy in behind her. My breath caught as I saw what she was wearing—what Liliandil said was her dress for the wedding. I could tell from the style and color that it was one of Susan's old dresses, but it fit Lucy perfectly and she looked stunning in it.

"What do you think?" Liliandil chirped. Many compliments came to mind—beautiful, stunning, amazing, beyond belief—but I couldn't say any of them in front of Liliandil.

"I…I like it," I finally managed, catching Lucy's eye before she blushed and looked down. My fiancée excused herself, saying she had to attend to the wedding preparations. As soon as she was gone—with the door closing quietly behind her—I lifted Lucy's chin and smiled at her.

"You look wonderful, Lu," I whispered. I bent down, wanting to kiss her again, but I stopped myself. I couldn't do that. I was engaged. I felt her reach up and brush her lips lightly against mine before turning and leaving the room. I was frozen in shock…she'd been the one to pull away from me that night. And now she was kissing me? What was going on? I sighed, shaking my head and leaving the room. I started walking down the hall, but then turned and saw Lucy watching me, her hand halfway to the doorknob of her bedroom door. When I caught her staring, she hurriedly walked into her own room and closed the door behind her.

In the counsel with Trumpkin, Glenstorm, and some of my Telmarine-born men, I couldn't pay attention. My mind kept flashing back to that night I kissed Lucy. I could hear the men talking to each other, but I just wasn't all there. I was so sucked into my thoughts that I didn't hear Trumpkin speaking to me at first.

"King Caspian!" he said finally, and I jumped slightly and blinked, looking at him with a confused look on my face.

"Yes?" Trumpkin looked around at the other men, then sighed and stood, adjourning the meeting. As soon as it was just him and me in the room, he turned to me.

"What's on your mind, Caspian? I've never seen you like this. Is it the nerves of having your wedding in just two days?"

"Well…no, I haven't been thinking anything of the wedding, actually."

"Liliandil seems very excited about it. Don't you two ever talk to each other about it?"

"No. She said she wants to take care of the preparations, so I let her."

"Then what's on your mind?" I sighed and stood from my seat, crossing the room to the window, staring out for a few minutes before turning back to my friend.

"I don't love her, Trumpkin," I said finally. "I don't love Liliandil. I'm in love with someone else."

"And who would that be?" the dwarf asked, raising an eyebrow at me.

"Lucy," I whispered.

"You're in love with Lucy? Are you sure it's not just some fancy?"

"I kissed her, Trumpkin," I said, walking closer to him. "Why would I do that if I wasn't truly in love with her?"

"That does complicate things for you, doesn't it?" He looked up at me. "Did Liliandil find out?"

"Of course not," I answered, turning back to the window. "If she knew, she would have cancelled the wedding long ago."

"When did you kiss Lucy?"

"A few days ago."

"Does Lucy love you?"

"I don't know. Maybe." I turned back to him. "We almost kissed again this morning. And she didn't stop me before." Trumpkin sighed and looked at me with a curious expression.

"Well, let's just hope this will be sorted out soon."

"Is that the only advice you have for me?"

"Unfortunately, yes." I watched my friend leave and turned back to look out the window. It looked out over the garden, and I could see Lucy walking down there, stopping by the pond and sitting down. I noticed a gray wolf cub walk up to her and sit down next to her. I smiled to myself and walked out of the room.

LUCY'S POV

Liliandil had dragged me to Caspian's room to show him my dress, and he'd simply said he liked it. I could see in his warm, brown eyes that he wanted to say so much more, but was unable in front of his bride-to-be. As soon as Liliandil left, he walked up to me and told me that I looked wonderful, leaning down, about to kiss me again, but stopping himself. I couldn't resist, so I reached up the rest of the way and kissed him lightly. Afterwards, I turned and walked out of the room.

As I was about to enter my room to change into a different dress, I heard Caspian's door open and I paused, turning to see him close the door behind him and start to walk away, before stopping and turning to look straight at me. I dropped his gaze and walked into my room.

Julia helped me change into a full-length, off-the-shoulder, pale green gown and forest green flats as well as pulling my hair up into a high ponytail for me. I put on an emerald-and-diamond necklace and earrings to match before I put my crown on.

I walked out into the garden and sat down in my favorite, shaded spot by the pond. I looked up to see Laika walking over to me. She smiled and sat down next to me, resting her head against my leg.

"You seem troubled, Queen Lucy. Is something wrong?"

"Well, the man I love is getting married to another woman in two days' time."

"And who is it you love?" I laughed.

"You wouldn't believe me if I told you."

"You might be surprised."

"Well…" I looked at the wolf cub, who was staring up at me expectantly. "I'm in love with Caspian."

"King Caspian?" she asked. "Really?"

"Yes."

"I think he really likes you."

"What makes you say that?"

"The way he talks about you, and the fact that he made this garden in your name." She looked up, and stood. "Oh. Here he comes." She turned back to me. "He looks like he wants to talk to you." She bowed. "Until next time, Queen Lucy." I watched her leave before looking up at Caspian.

"Hello," he said, stopping by the pond.

"Hey," I answered, half-smiling.

"Who was that you were talking to?" he asked, nodding in the direction Laika had gone.

"Her name's Laika. She's a Narnian wolf."

"Ah." He sat down next to me. "Can I talk to you?"

"Sure."

"I'm…thinking about cancelling the wedding."

"What? Why?" He shook his head.

"I don't believe a man should marry a woman if he doesn't love her."

"I don't think you should cancel the wedding, Caspian," I told him, against my better judgment. He looked at me in astonishment. "Liliandil would be extremely disappointed." With that, I stood and walked away without a glance back.


	11. Wedding With Complications

**Yay, chapter 11! I'm making progress!**

LUCY'S POV

I couldn't believe it. The two days had passed in a blur, and now it was time for Caspian and Liliandil's wedding. I had almost bailed that morning. I was really close to telling Liliandil that I couldn't be her maid of honor at the last moment.

"Liliandil," I'd said. "I…I…"

"You what?" she'd asked, looking at me with her big, expectant, blue eyes, and I'd chickened out.

"I'm ready for the wedding!" I'd said, forcing a smile. Now I was standing holding her bouquet as she the preacher started the wedding. I felt as if I was going to throw up the entire morning, and now the nausea had grown even stronger. Caspian was facing me and Liliandil facing away from me, so she couldn't see me watching him and hoping more than anything I'd said yes to him cancelling the wedding.

"Dearly beloved," the preacher began, "we have gathered here today to join these two in holy matrimony." I squeezed my eyes shut, and hoped that I looked like I was holding back tears of joy to everybody in the crowd…but they probably weren't looking at me. They were looking at the bride and groom.

"Do you, Liliandil, daughter of Ramandu, take King Caspian to be your husband, in sickness and health, until death do you part?"

"I do," she answered, smiling widely. Caspian smiled back, but the smile seemed forced, and it wasn't as wide as hers. I could tell that the wheels were turning in his head as his gaze flicked to me quickly while the preacher was speaking. He didn't look particularly happy…in fact, he looked as if he was debating with himself.

"Do you, King Caspian the Tenth, son of Caspian the Ninth, take Liliandil to be your wife, in sickness and in health, until death do you part?" Caspian's gaze flicked over to me again, then back to Liliandil. He sighed and looked down, and shook his head.

"I…I'm sorry. I can't do this."

"What?" Liliandil asked, her face upset and horrified. People in the crowd gasped and looked at each other, before back at Caspian.

"I'm sorry, Liliandil, but…I'm in love with someone else."

"Who?" she demanded, more than angry now. Caspian looked over at me and smiled, saying my name in an answer to Liliandil's question. People in the crowd gasped again, some of them smiled, and a few others said things like, "I knew it!" Liliandil glared at the both of us and stormed out, and Caspian took me in his arms and kissed me without hesitation. I kissed back, wrapping my arms around his neck, and smiling at him when he pulled back.

"I love you," he whispered before pressing his lips against mine again briefly.

Later, Caspian and I went to Liliandil's room and found her sitting on the bed with tears streaming down her face. She glared at the both of us.

"What do you want?" she hissed.

"If you'd like, I can send out Drinian and some of the crew on the Dawn Treader to take you back to your father's island," Caspian offered.

"Fine!" she screamed, throwing one of the pillows from the bed at him. He caught it easily and tossed it back on the bed before we left the room. He turned to me and smiled as we walked down the halls of Cair.

"Want to go for a horseback ride on the beach?" he asked.

"Of course," I replied.

After we changed into our riding gear, we went down to the stables and saddled up Leilani and Destrier. We raced to the beach, and Caspian won because he was on the faster horse. We trotted along, side-by-side, near the water, laughing and talking. Finally, at sunset, we let the horses rest in the field at the end of the beach while we walked barefoot through the gentle waves lapping at the shore.

"It certainly took you a while to make up your mind about what you wanted," I teased, nudging him lightly with my shoulder.

"Yes…well, I was…conflicted," he replied, chuckling and bringing our entwined hands up to kiss mine gently. We stopped walking and stared out at the sunset for a moment. Finally, Caspian drew me into his arms and kissed me gently. I wrapped my arms around his neck and kissed back, content to stay with him like this. He pulled back and pressed his forehead against mine, our noses bumping slightly. I giggled and pulled him down to sit next to me on the sand.

"I love you," he whispered in my ear as he pulled me into his lap. I rested my head on his shoulder and smiled.

"I love you, too," I whispered back, pressing my lips gently against the side of his neck. He shivered lightly and pressed his lips against mine once more.


	12. Archenland King

**So Caspian and Lucy are finally together and people will hopefully still enjoy the series anyway. Just so you know, I am not planning on ending it any time soon, so get ready for a long series! Hope you enjoy!**

LUCY'S POV

I woke the next morning, feeling extremely happy and ready to face the day. I allowed Julia and the other maids that usually helped dress me the day off, and hummed as I dressed myself in one of my favorite dresses—a deep, midnight purple, strapless, flowing dress. I paired black, knee-length boots and an amethyst necklace with the dress, and it was topped off with my hair pulled up into a sloppy bun and my crown.

As I finished getting dressed, I heard a knock on my door, and allowed the person to come in. Caspian walked in, smiling at me and catching his breath when he saw my outfit. I took it as a compliment and giggled, kissing him briefly but passionately before pulling him out into the hall and closing the door behind me.

"So what's on the agenda for today?" I asked as we walked.

"We're planning another ball, to announce our courting," Caspian answered, smiling at me. I laughed. "There will be men and women from Archenland there again, so stay close to me, all right?" I agreed seriously this time. Archenland men had been raised to see women as nothing but child-bearers and housekeepers, but thought nothing of their actual feelings and thoughts. All this happened because King Nain was in power. Caspian also informed me the king would be attending the ball, and I grimaced, not wanting him anywhere near me or any of the Narnian women.

"I don't like him, either, Lu," Caspian said, reading my expression. "Which is why you need to stay by me, all right?"

"All right," I answered. We walked into the ballroom and both stopped short when we saw King Nain standing, speaking rudely to Trumpkin. I could tell my dear little friend was attempting to be polite, but having a difficult time. When Caspian and I entered the room, Nain looked up at us.

"Ah, King Caspian," he said, a mocking smile on his face as he walked over. "Good to see you again." His eyes flashed to me, and his expression turned to a leer. I instantly wished I'd chosen to wear my dagger on my belt so I could pull it on him and tell him to back off. "And who is this _lovely_ young lady?" I couldn't stop a horrified shiver that ran down my spine.

"This is High Queen Lucy the Valiant," Caspian answered, purposefully saying my full, regal name. I watched with a smirk as recognition came into Nain's eyes, along with slight fear. He knew I'd been given that name for a reason.

"Ah, of course. How could I not recognize her?"

"You won't talk about me like I'm not here, _King_ Nain," I said, my voice dripping with sarcasm as I said his title. "We're not in Archenland anymore, and women are treated equally here." I saw in my peripheral vision as Caspian gave me a proud smile, but mostly saw Nain's angry glare. I was sure at that moment, I was glaring back with equally fierce anger.

"Yes, Queen Lucy."

"That's High Queen Lucy to you."

"Yes, Your Majesty," he said, bowing slightly and walking away. I didn't miss the eye roll he gave me as he turned, and I didn't think he intended for me to miss it.

"One more thing," I called after him. With an exasperated sigh, he turned, crossing his arms in questioning. "You will not speak rudely to Trumpkin as you were when we came in." Surprise flashed in his eyes, and I knew at once he hadn't seen us witnessing that. He nodded and walked out the door.

"Trumpkin, what is he doing here?" Caspian asked as we approached the dwarf. "The ball isn't until tomorrow night."

"I don't know, Caspian," Trumpkin replied, sitting in a nearby chair and pinching the bridge of his nose in agitation. "I suppose he heard about your almost-wedding with Liliandil and figured that she was free to be taken as a wife again."

"The pervert," I spat, glaring down at the floor. Caspian wrapped an arm around my waist and pulled me close. I looked up to see that his proud smile was back.

"You handled yourself fairly well back there, Queen Lucy," he said in compliment, kissing me lightly.

"Thank you," I answered, smiling and kissing him back.

"Sometimes you two scare me," Trumpkin commented, and I looked over my shoulder at him, laughing at his half-grossed-out face. He sighed and smiled, standing. "If you two want to spend some time together, go right ahead. I'll take care of preparations."

"Are you sure, Trumpkin?" Caspian asked. "I know I promised we'd help."

"It's fine," the dwarf answered, waving us off. "Just go, before anyone else gets grossed out by you two." Caspian and I laughed as we walked out of the ballroom.

We were walking calmly down the quiet halls of Cair when Caspian pulled me into a dark, more secluded hall, and held me protectively against his chest. I started to ask him what was wrong, but he stopped me by covering my mouth. He held up one finger to his lips, telling me to keep quiet as he peeked out around the corner, and then ducked back in. He bent down to press a kiss below my ear before whispering to me.

"Warriors from Archenland," he breathed. "Just go along with me, all right?" I nodded in answer, and he pressed his lips against mine more fiercely than he had before. I felt one of his hands on the small of my back and the other came to rest on the side of my neck while he pressed his body close to mine. In response, I wrapped my arms around his neck and held him tightly, tangling my fingers in his soft, brown hair.

As we were kissing like that, I heard the men from Archenland pass by the hall, and some of them stopped walking when they saw us. I heard their quiet questions, wondering who we were, but no one lingered, and the people that had lagged behind quickly caught up with the others. Caspian didn't pull out of the kiss until a while after their footsteps faded. I laughed breathlessly and pressed feather-light kisses against his jaw and neck, but neither of us released our grip on the other.

"You should kiss me like that more often," I said once I had caught my breath. Caspian laughed and caught my lips in the same type of fierce, passionate kiss. We stayed like that for a few minutes longer. I was so trapped in the kiss, in the love that Caspian was showering me with, that I didn't hear footsteps approaching and stopping by the hall. Then someone cleared their throat and I jumped slightly, pulling out of the kiss as I did so. I noticed a slightly aggravated look flash across Caspian's face before he looked up to see who had interrupted us. I looked over and saw one of Caspian's men standing there, a blush on his face and his eyes down.

"Y-your Majesty," he stuttered, finally gaining the courage to look up at us before blushing and looking down again. "Your presence is requested."

"All right," Caspian answered. "Thank you, Blaccard. I will be right there." The man nodded and walked away quickly, the blush never leaving his face. Caspian turned and kissed me again, more gently this time, and kissed down my jaw and neck, leaving one final kiss on my bare shoulder before reluctantly letting me go.

"Hurry back," I told him, smiling when he chuckled, agreed, and walked away.


	13. Surprise in Narnia

**I'm so, so, so, so sorry I haven't written! I started school last Wednesday, and the days before that were hectic. Here's chapter 13!**

LUCY'S POV

It was the night of the ball announcing my courtship with Caspian, and Julia was helping me get ready. Tonight, I was wearing a dress that would be a replica of Sleeping Beauty's if it were not silver. My shoes were also silver, and my hair was cascading down my shoulders. My crown—as usual—topped off the outfit. As soon as I was finished dressing, there was a knock on my door.

"Come in," I called as Julia was primping my hair, pressing the waves into place. Caspian came in and walked over, placing his hand on hers to stop her.

"You don't need to do that," he said, smiling. "She's perfect." He offered his arm, and I stood, lacing mine through his. I told Julia to change into her best dress, and if she didn't have one other than her usual maid's outfit, to help herself to one of mine and go to the ball to have a good time.

"Oh, thank you, Queen Lucy!" she said, smiling happily and hugging me. Before I knew it, Caspian and I were walking out my bedroom door on our way to the ball.

"Ladies and gentlemen, our King Caspian, and High Queen Lucy the Valiant of Narnia," Glenstorm announced as we came in, and people applauded and bowed. Caspian smiled and raised his hand. Everyone looked up, expecting the announcement he was going to make. I looked at him, wondering if anybody actually knew what he was announcing. He winked at me and turned back to the crowd.

"As you all know, I am holding this ball to make an announcement to you all. Call it a celebration, if you will." He paused for a moment. "Queen Lucy and I are courting." I watched people gasp in surprise, others smiled, some applauded, and people from Archenland—both men and women—looked disappointed.

We walked down the stairs, and Caspian led me straight to the dance floor, taking me up in his arms as we started dancing. I could feel eyes on us, but I didn't care. _My_ eyes were locked on Caspian's brown ones, happy and blissful. I rested my head on his chest as we danced, sighing happily.

"Lucy?" Caspian asked after a couple of dances.

"Hmm?" I responded, looking up at him. He leaned down, his lips by my ear.

"Want to get out of here?" I giggled and nodded, and he took me out of the room. As we walked, we passed three people that I didn't get a good look at, but from the corner of my eye looked _very_ familiar. I brushed the thought off and we headed to the garden. I led Caspian to my favorite spot—under the tree by the pond. I sat down and he sat next to me, taking off his coat and draping it over my shoulders before wrapping his arms around my waist. I rested my head against his chest and stared up into the sky, watching a shooting star and spotting all the familiar constellations.

"I can't tell you how much I missed these stars in the four years I was gone."

"Four years? It was only three here."

"Yes. It was quite odd coming here and only three years had passed when in my old world, four years had passed. Edmund and I were talking about it later on."

"So now you're only four years younger than me?" I looked up at Caspian's teasing smile and giggled.

"Yes, I suppose so." He chuckled and leaned down to capture my lips in a soft, tender kiss. His arms tightened around my waist and the kiss deepened. I ran my hands up his chest, about to wrap my arms around his neck when a soft cough came from behind us. I pulled back in a start, blushing and looking down while Caspian looked up to see who had interrupted us.

"Oh, Trumpkin," he said. "What is it?"

"Aslan is here, and requests your presence." I almost jumped up at the mention of Aslan's name, a smile already on my face. Caspian chuckled and nodded at me, standing and helping me up, keeping one arm wrapped around my waist, and I held his coat around my arms, shivering slightly as a cool wind passed by. A storm was coming…I could feel it in the air. We headed inside quickly, and Trumpkin led us down the hall and into the almost-empty throne room.

"Hello, Caspian, Lucy," a rumbling, familiar voice called out, and I couldn't resist the urge to run forward and hug Aslan. His deep chuckle sounded as he wrapped one large paw around me to hug me back.

"Why are you here, Aslan? Is something wrong?" I heard Caspian ask as he came up behind me. I returned to his arms and looked at my friend, also wondering his purpose for being here.

"Yes, I'm afraid there is," the Lion said. My heart jerked, and my thoughts jumped to my family. What had happened? Before I could ask, Aslan continued on, his golden eyes solemn. "Your siblings were very close to a disaster killing the three of them. They were not at home with your parents, aunt, uncle, and Eustace, and those five are perfectly safe. In fact, your siblings were out taking a walk in the forest on the far side of the park near your aunt and uncle's home, and would have been killed if…." He trailed off here, and looked past us. I heard the door open and turned, breaking free of Caspian's hold and gasping as I saw the last people I ever would have expected.

"…if I had not brought them here," the Lion finished. I saw Caspian turn from the corner of my eye, and heard him gasp. Peter rushed up to me and pulled me into a tight hug, Caspian's coat dropping from my shoulders as he did so.

"Lucy!" my brother exclaimed, holding me close. Edmund also rushed up and embraced me. Even Susan ran to me and hugged me.

"We started to think we'd never see you again," Peter said, holding me at arm's length. His blue eyes flashed up to look at Caspian. "So…you two really weren't gone that long," he added, looking at both me and Edmund.

"Peter…" I began, grabbing my eldest brother's attention again. "How long has it been?"

"Two months," he answered. Suddenly Susan caught my attention, and I saw she was talking to Caspian. Edmund and Peter started talking with Aslan, and I inched closer to hear the conversation between the man I loved and my sister.

"Hello again, Caspian," Susan said. He nodded, a polite smile on his face.

"Susan," he answered.

"…Aslan told me that we're back to stay. Maybe…maybe we can try and make what we had work?" Jealousy flared up inside of me, and my brows knit together. I tried to calm myself down. Susan didn't know about me and Caspian…and I don't think I was quite ready for her to know. Caspian glanced over at me and saw me shake my head infinitesimally.

"I'll think about it," he answered. "I mean, you've only just got back." I saw my sister nod, but a disappointed look painted her features. Caspian turned to me. "Lucy, do you want me to escort you to your room?"

"Umm," I looked over at Peter now looking up at us. "My question is…where will Peter sleep if you're now in his room?"

"Don't worry about it, Lu," Peter said, grinning and squeezing my shoulder lightly. "I'll find a different room." I bent down and picked up the coat—which had been sitting on the floor until then—and laced my arm through Caspian's as we headed down the hall towards my room. As we reached it, I pulled him inside and shut the door.

"Susan can't know about us yet," I said. "I need time to think over how to explain to her what's happened. Please don't be insulted, I just…I don't know how I'm going to tell her."

"It's fine, Lucy," he said gently. "I understand." He leaned down and kissed me again, tenderly but passionately, his arms wrapping tight around my waist and mine around his neck. He pulled back and pressed his forehead against mine, our noses touching. "Get some sleep, all right?" I nodded, and couldn't suppress a yawn that came up. He chuckled and lightly kissed my nose before bidding me good night and leaving the room. As I climbed into bed, I couldn't help wondering how I was going to break the news about me and Caspian courting to Susan.


	14. Almost, but Not Yet

**Oh my gosh! I didn't realize so many people loved reading Dear One as much as I love writing it. Thank you all so much!**

LUCY'S POV

I didn't sleep well that night. I was tossing and turning, wondering how I could tell Susan—or worse, my _brothers_—that Caspian and I were courting. By the time I got up the next morning, I was exhausted as well as worried out of my mind. I nearly fell asleep in the bath that Julia ran for me; it was warm and I felt so relaxed. But I didn't fall asleep, and instead I was able to get out and get dressed.

I walked to the throne room—one of the initial places my siblings always liked to spend time—and found Caspian speaking to Peter, explaining all that had happened on our voyage to the east. I walked over and listened to the rest of the story before turning to my brother.

"What happened back in England?" I asked.

"Mum and Dad were worried out of their minds. They didn't give up searching for you from the moment we told them you'd gone missing. The story was that you'd gone to the market place and hadn't returned home. They were out in the market place yesterday and Eustace stayed with Aunt Alberta and Uncle Henry at home, so we decided to go out for a walk. We went to the forest and heard noises in the bushes around us. A man came out wielding a knife, looking half-crazed, and suddenly, behind us, we heard Aslan's roar. When we turned, we saw him. He told us to come with him, and we did. The man behind us tried to follow, but Aslan kept him at bay. The next thing we knew, we were here in Cair, walking through the doors to the ballroom. We passed you and Caspian on the way, but only Edmund noticed. Afterwards, we met you here, in the throne room."

As he was talking, Edmund and Susan came over. I turned and half-smiled at them, but seeing my sister only reminded me of having to figure out how to tell her what I wanted to. Peter and Susan turned and started talking to Edmund, so I gestured to Caspian that we should leave, and as we were walking, I noticed Nain walk in through the doors, and I let out an exasperated sigh. What was he doing here? I wondered. He walked straight up to Caspian, ignoring me. I sighed and let myself out, walking down the halls of Cair, out into the garden, where I met Laika by the pond.

"Hello, Queen Lucy," she said, nodding at me.

"Hello, Laika," I answered, sitting next to her. She shifted to lean against my leg, and I ran my hand through her soft fur.

"Why are you out here by yourself?" the pup asked.

"Oh, my siblings and Caspian are probably dealing with Nain right now."

"What's he doing here?"

"I don't know. I didn't stick around to find out."

"Well, maybe you'll find out now," Laika said, and I looked up to see Susan walking towards me. Laika got up and excused herself. Susan sat down next to me, looking angry and frustrated. _Uh-oh, _I thought, _what exactly did Nain say?_

"That man is insanely frustrating!" my sister fumed, glaring down into the water.

"What did he say?" I asked cautiously.

"Oh, it's nothing he said, really," she answered. "He wasn't _talking_ to me. He was only _leering_ at me the entire time he spoke to Peter and Caspian."

"He didn't speak to Edmund?"

"Edmund left about a minute after you did. He didn't want to speak to Nain."

"I don't blame him." And I really didn't. The last time I spoke to the king of Archenland wasn't exactly a fond memory, even though Caspian told me I was able to hold my own fairly well. Susan looked around the garden, and turned back to me.

"Aren't these all of your favorite flowers?" she asked. I smiled and nodded.

"Isn't it beautiful?" I asked. "Caspian had it made for me." Maybe this was a good time to tell Susan about Caspian and me. I was just about to when Edmund walked up and sat across from Susan.

"Caspian had it made for you?" Susan echoed, ignoring our brother. "This garden?" I turned back to her and nodded, my smile returning as I remembered when he had shown it to me. I looked over at Edmund, who also looked surprised. She looked up as Peter and Caspian came over to us.

"What did Nain want?" I asked, speaking before my sister could.

"He wanted to speak to Caspian alone," Peter began, "but I refused to leave. Then he started muttering to himself. All I caught of it was, 'First the little one, and now him.' Did you ever say anything to him, Lucy?"

"Say anything to him?" Caspian echoed, chuckling. "She told him off." All my siblings looked at him, and then at me.

"You told him off?" Edmund asked, grinning.

"Yeah. He got pretty indignant, too."

"What exactly did you say?" Peter asked, sitting down by Edmund. Caspian walked over to me and sat on my right side, since Susan was on my left. I explained to them all that happened with my encounter with Nain.

"Then afterwards he left," I concluded, and I could see the proud smile on Caspian's face again as he remembered it. Edmund laughed and said that it sounded like something I would do. Peter told me to be more careful next time. Susan told me I'd done the right thing, telling him what I had.

"Oh, and Caspian," Peter said, "next time don't let Nain do all the talking, all right? He was saying some pretty weird stuff back there."

"All right," Caspian agreed, chuckling. Susan and Edmund got up and left with Peter, leaving me and Caspian alone in the garden. As soon as they were out of sight and earshot, Caspian wrapped his arm around my waist and kissed my forehead.

"What did Nain want?"

"I don't know, he wouldn't say. He kept insisting Peter leave, and since he wouldn't, Nain ended up turning around and leaving in a huff. I suspect he'll come back soon enough, and I'll figure out what it was he wanted then."

"Yeah," I agreed.

"Have you told Susan yet?"

"No. I was about to when Edmund came."

"You'll figure it out." I sighed and rested my head on his shoulder. I hoped he was right.


	15. Being Forbidden

**To Lioness: Thanks for the review, I really like the critique. As an author, that's always what I'm looking for. And though I have read almost all the books (I'm working on reading The Last Battle now), I am going movie-wise except for a couple details (like Lord Bern being named Duke of Felimath by Caspian in an earlier chapter) because more people know the movies than the books.**

**Thank you everybody for reading, please keep the reviews coming, and if you have critique for me, post it. I always read my reviews, and I try to correct myself according to what my readers think. So good or bad, go ahead and critique me, I enjoy it when people do. Thanks again, and enjoy chapter 15!**

LUCY'S POV

A week had passed, and I still hadn't figured out exactly how to tell Susan and my brothers about me and Caspian. I thought up different scenarios, but could never figure out the perfect way to come right out and tell them. All my scenarios involved me beating around the bush and having them guess at what I'm trying to tell them. But knowing Peter, he'd get suspicious and guess something entirely different. So that didn't work.

"Julia, how can I tell my brothers and sister that Caspian and I are courting?" I asked her one morning as she was helping me dress into my favorite red, off-the-shoulder, floor-length gown.

"Well, you could come right out and say it," she suggested.

"But how? My brothers are so protective of me, and Susan still fancies Caspian. What if they get mad at me?"

"I think you're thinking too much into it," Julia said softly, pulling several strands of my red-brown hair into small braids and finally up into a high ponytail. "Sure, Queen Susan might feel a little betrayed for a while, but she'll forgive you. And your brothers trust Caspian as much as they trust you. They know nothing bad will come to you if he's around."

"Yeah…I guess you're right." I stood up after she put my crown on for me and hugged her. "Thank you, Julia." Afterwards, I was walking through the halls of Cair and met Caspian outside the empty ballroom.

"You look gorgeous today, as always," he said, smiling and leaning down to kiss me. I pulled back and laughed at the look on a random faun's face as he passed. But as soon as he was gone and we were alone again, I pulled Caspian back towards me and kissed him again. A few seconds later, I heard a gasp.

"Lucy?" I jumped and pulled back, my eyes wide as I heard the familiar voice. I looked up into Susan's blue eyes, full of hurt and betrayal. Guilt warred with frustration inside of me. She and Caspian never really had much between them in the first place; it was a mere fancy on Caspian's part. But then, she was the one who had kissed him…. But she was never supposed to come back, why should she feel betrayed? I pushed the feelings away when she turned and ran off.

"Susan! Susan, wait!" I called, starting to go after her. Caspian caught my arm before I could follow and pulled me back.

"Just let her cool down for a bit, Lu," he told me. "Everything will be all right."

SUSAN'S POV

I couldn't believe it. It was true. Lucy and Caspian _were_ courting. Hurt and betrayal were coursing through me as I made my way through Cair Paravel to the throne room where I knew Peter and Edmund were. I burst through the doors and ran over to my brothers.

"I…Lucy…she…and…Caspian…it's true…." I collapsed on the stairs leading up to the thrones as tears rolled down my cheeks.

"What?" Edmund asked, and Peter, his eyes full of alarm, helped me up and onto my throne.

"What happened, Susan?"

"I was walking through the hallway, and saw a faun hurrying to walk through. So I stopped him and asked him what his hurry was. I was afraid there was something wrong. He told me he'd seen Caspian and Lucy kissing outside of the ballroom. I didn't believe him, until I walked past the ballroom and saw it myself."

"They were _kissing_?" Peter demanded, anger flaring up in his eyes.

"They were kissing," Edmund echoed, seeming more shocked than angry. Peter shook his head, glaring down at the floor and starting to pace. He turned back to us, his eyes still flaming with anger.

"If Caspian thinks he can get away with this, he's got another thing coming!"

"Oh, come off it, Peter," Edmund shot back. "What if they really like each other? And I mean _really_ like each other."

"You're not really suggesting Lucy's in _love_ with Caspian?" I gasped, staring at my younger brother.

"I don't know," he admitted, shrugging. "But if she does, I think you should _both_ give them a chance."

"I wouldn't give Caspian a second chance if he begged me on his hands and knees! Liking Susan is one thing; she's old enough to handle herself in those situations! Lucy is only sixteen! She doesn't know what she's doing!"

"Peter, we were going to let Lucy marry Luke all those years ago, remember? We hardly knew him. Now she and a man we both know and trust with our lives are together, and you're not willing to let them have a relationship?"

"Edmund!" I complained, standing up. "You're on _their_ side? You know I like Caspian!"

"But I'm in love with Lucy," I heard Caspian say. I looked up to see he and Lucy had entered the room. "I'm sorry, Susan…but it's true."

"Susan, I'm so sorry," Lucy said, rushing up to me. "I was trying to figure out a way to tell you, and I hadn't thought of anything yet. It came out in the wrong way. I never meant it to be like this. Please forgive me!"

"Lucy, I…" I began, but Peter cut me off.

"It doesn't matter," he snapped, glaring at Caspian when he tried to approach Lucy. "You two are not going to be together."

"You can't do that!" Lucy snapped back.

"As the High King, and your older brother, I believe I can."

"That's not fair!"

"Enough, Lucy!" Peter shouted. "You are not allowed to be with him alone again. Do you understand?"

"No, Peter, I don't."

"Do you understand?" I felt bad for my little sister when tears started falling. Lucy didn't cry very much, and Peter had most definitely never made her cry before.

"No! I don't understand!" she repeated before running out of the room. Suddenly, my "betrayal" didn't seem important anymore. I could see that Lucy was in love with Caspian, and even though that hurt a lot, I had to accept it. I stopped Peter from going after Caspian when he turned to follow Lucy.

"That's not fair, Peter."

"I'm still the eldest. I'll decide what's fair."


	16. Storm

LUCY'S POV

I didn't stop crying, even when I was alone in my room with the door locked. A quiet knock sounded at my door. I threw one of my pillows at it.

"Go away, Edmund!"

"It's me," I heard Caspian call. I jumped up and ran over to the door, unlocking and opening it. I pulled him inside and closed and locked the door again. He pulled me into his arms and held me tight against him, allowing me to bury my face in his chest and let the tears fall. Susan did seem to have forgiven me, but being forbidden to be with the man I loved by my eldest brother seemed unbearable. I felt Caspian pick me up and carry me to my bed, lying me down and lying down next to me.

"How could he say that to me?" I whispered once my sobbing fit had passed.

"It's all right, Lu," Caspian assured me. "He'll come around, don't worry. I think he just feels hurt that it wasn't you who told him."

"Yeah," I sighed, half-smiling at him. I went to rest my head against his chest when I noticed something and laughed. "Oh my gosh, your shirt's soaked. I'm sorry!"

"It's okay," he chuckled, releasing me from his hold for a minute while he sat up and shrugged out of his shirt. "I'll always be here for you to cry on if you need." We both laughed and I sighed as I rested my head against his chest, his warmth enveloping me like a soft blanket. His deep, calming breaths and the sound of his heart were like a lullaby singing me to sleep.

When I woke up later, it was probably the middle of the night, and I was still wrapped in Caspian's warm arms, as well as a blanket he'd probably pulled over us. I shivered when a cold wind made its way under the blanket and to my bare arms. I found I was in my nightgown, and couldn't stop a blush from rising to my face, though Caspian had probably had Julia change me. I gently pulled myself from his arms and stood from the bed, making my way over to the window and closing it. I squealed a little when thunder crashed. The long put-off storm had finally come.

"Lucy?" I heard Caspian say, and he was closer to me than I thought. I jumped and turned to look at him, my hand on my chest as I tried to calm myself down. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to scare you. Are you all right?" He started to pull me into his arms, but I dragged him to the bed and crawled under the covers, curling up in the spot he'd been sleeping under the down comforter. It was still warm there. He lay down next to me and pulled the covers up, drawing me into his arms again and holding me close.

"I'm all right," I answered.

"You didn't think I'd notice if you weren't in my arms anymore?" he asked, and I could hear the smile in his voice.

"Well, I don't know. It was cold, and I wanted to shut the window."

"I'm just teasing, Lu. Go on back to sleep, okay?" I agreed, and started to close my eyes when I remembered something.

"You had Julia change me into my nightgown, right?"

"Yes, of course," he replied. His voice was even, but when I put my hand against his cheek, I could feel him blushing. I giggled and pressed my lips against his briefly before falling back asleep.

When I woke up the next morning, the storm was still raging in full outside. I was still in Caspian's arms, and he was still asleep. His arm was wrapped around my waist from behind, and not wanting to get up and disturb him, I reached for the book on my nightstand—just within my reach—and began reading.

I noticed when he woke; his lips pressed against the hollow under my ear, and he kissed his way down my neck. I whispered a quiet "good morning" but my breath caught as he brushed his lips across my collarbone. He gave a quiet moan in reply, but continued kissing me. He kissed all the way down to the top of my chest where my nightgown started, and worked his way back up my neck. I felt his hand slide from my shoulder down my side and I sighed when his lips reached my jaw. My fingers tangled in his soft, brown hair and our eyes met before our lips did.

"What's with the…kissing this morning?" I asked in between kisses.

"Mm…it seemed appropriate, considering the type of day it is," Caspian answered, nodding to the storm outside.

"If Peter finds out…" I breathed against his skin.

"He won't find out," Caspian answered.

"Don't be so sure," Peter's voice came from the doorway, and he sounded livid. A deep blush painted my face and I tried to hide myself from my brother's anger. "Maybe the next time you decide to get intimate with someone, Lucy, you might try locking your door." My eyes flashed with confusion, thinking that I _did_ lock the door. But then it occurred to me that when Julia left and Caspian came back in, he probably didn't lock the door. I knew I was right when Caspian cursed under his breath. He got up from the bed and turned to look at my brother.

"Look, Peter, be mad at me, not at Lucy," he said. I still wouldn't meet Peter's death glare, though I felt it shift away from me after a second.

"Oh, believe me, Caspian, I'm more than mad at you. I ought to kill you."

"Peter, nothing happened," I said quietly, sitting up so that he could see I was in my nightgown. Mixed in with anger, his eyes flashed surprise. The anger still overwhelmed everything else in his gaze, and he turned his glare back to Caspian.

"I still ought to kill you," he growled darkly. I noticed then that my brother's sword was on his hip, and he drew it, walking towards the king. I grabbed my dagger from my nightstand and pulled it from the sheath, standing in front of Caspian in Peter's way with it poised in my hand, prepared to be thrown.

"I'm in love with him, Peter, and whether you like it or not, that's not going to change!" He swung anyway, expecting me to duck, but I just met his blade with my dagger. With my free hand, I grabbed my brother's and twisted the sword out of his hand.

"Stop this, Peter!" a deep, rumbling voice roared, and I looked over to see Aslan standing in the doorway. Peter's anger disappeared, and tears replaced it in his eyes. He collapsed to his knees on the floor.

"I…I just…you're so young, Lucy. Are you really ready for the life you're choosing?"

"We're not getting married anytime soon," I said, dropping his sword and my dagger to the floor with a loud clatter. "But I'm still in love with him." Aslan walked over to Peter and laid a paw gently on his shoulder.

"Don't let anger control your actions, Peter," the Lion said. Peter nodded and hugged me when I came close to him. He looked up at Caspian.

"I'm sorry." Caspian smiled and accepted the apology. Edmund and Susan came to the room, wondering what all the commotion was about, and Caspian explained quietly. Though the beginning of the day was upsetting, the rest of the day way fairly nice.


	17. Unfortunate Death

**So, one of my cats died recently, and we're contemplating giving her sister to an animal shelter so she can be adopted into a home where she doesn't have to be an outside cat. Poor KitKat (the cat that didn't die) isn't allowed in because my stepdad has a cat-crazy hunting dog. It was actually Ginger (the dog) that got Bark (the cat that died). I've been so distressed since I found out that I decided to write this chapter sort of about her. RIP Bark. We'll miss you.**

LUCY'S POV

I was glad that Peter finally accepted my relationship with Caspian. The two started hanging out more, leaving me either with Edmund and Susan or off by myself. I found myself in the library more often, sitting in the window-seat and staring out over the forest. My mind always wandered to the day I was killed by the white fog, or rather, what was _in_ the fog. I kept telling myself that it couldn't be possible, that the White Witch had been long since dead. But Edmund had told me that she came to him in that mist. Was that really only his imagination? From what we knew of her, she could lurk in any evil….

Today, I was sitting in the window-seat, looking out over the forest as usual when I was interrupted by a distressed bark. I looked to see Laika running to me as fast as her legs would carry her.

"Laika! What's wrong?" I asked, allowing her to leap up into my lap.

"Queen Lucy…the fog…it's…it's getting the Narnians!" she panted.

"What?" I demanded, jumping up and accidently knocking Laika to the floor. I apologized quickly, then gathered my skirt and ran to find Caspian and Peter. They _needed_ to know about this.

"Caspian! Peter!" I exclaimed, bursting into the throne room, Laika running right behind me. They turned to look at me, astonished looks on their faces. I told them exactly what Laika told me, and Caspian's face grew dark. I watched him stalk out of the room, muttering something about "ending that demon once and for all."

"Wait a second, Lu," Peter called, grabbing my shoulder when I started to follow. "What fog?" I bit my lip, wondering how to explain my own death to my brother.

"Umm…we'll talk about it along the way," I told him finally, and we walked down the hall, stopping in the doorway of Caspian's room and finding him strapping on his sword and cloak. I ran to my room and put on my belt with my dagger and healing cordial on it. I wouldn't be unprepared _this_ time. Peter told Edmund and Susan that we were heading into the forest to save the Narnians from some type of evil, and Edmund agreed to go right away. Susan hesitated, but grabbed her bow and quiver of arrows and decided to come.

Before long, we were in the stable, saddling up our horses and I was telling my siblings of my experience with the fog. By the time I finished speaking, they all seemed more determined than ever to bring down the Witch…especially Edmund.

"Hyah!" I urged Leilani into a gallop as we rode through the forest. I could see Peter on my left side, riding his black Purebred Spanish, Etalon. I knew Susan was riding her brown Purebred Spanish, Linda, and Edmund was on his black tovero Paint horse. They weren't in my field of vision, but I knew they were behind me because I could hear their horses' footfalls on the soft earth. Caspian led us through the forest until we reached a group of Narnians, trying to fend off a thick cloud of fog. I saw a shape in the fog, thicker than the rest of it and pulled out my dagger. I tossed it, and hit my target. I could hear the Witch's voice cry out in anger and pain, and the fog dissipated immediately. My dagger was stuck in a tree, but it had blood on it. I hopped down off of Leilani and grabbed it, cleaning it off in the grass below my feet.

"Are you all right?" I asked the Narnians there, and they all nodded. Suddenly, from farther in the forest, there came a cry of pain. I swung myself into Leilani's saddle and urged her forward into a gallop, intent on finding the creature that cried out like that. When I reached the spot, I saw a Cat circling one spot, nudging something with her nose and tears falling from her green eyes. She looked up at me and ran to my feet when I got off of Leilani.

"Your Majesty! Your Majesty!" she cried, her green eyes pleading. "Please, help my sister! She's hurt!" I ran over to the other cat, a tortoise shell, and grabbed my healing cordial from my belt. I was about to open it and pour a drop into the Cat's mouth when it was knocked from my hand. Thankfully, it wasn't open and so it didn't spill. But it was too far away from me. I could see my brothers and sister fighting the fog…or rather, what was _in_ the fog. Soon, it engulfed them, but I turned my attention to getting my cordial back. I needed to heal that Cat. Her life was slipping from her body. I needed one drop from my cordial…just one. I tried reaching for it, but I was thrown away from it. I felt the sharp pain as I hit a tree and fell to the ground.

"Lucy!" I heard Caspian call, and I looked up to see him toss my cordial to me. I reached out and caught it, ignoring my own pain as I made my way over to the tortoise shell Cat. Her sister, a tabby, sat crying over her. The fog had disappeared, and my siblings looked exhausted. They came over, questioning each other why the fog had just disappeared. I looked at the Cat, and felt her throat for her pulse. There was none. I panicked, my heart rate increasing. I put my hand on her body—ignoring the blood—and felt for breathing. Again, I felt nothing.

"No, no, no!" I said, tears forming in my eyes. The tabby Cat ran off in the direction of the Narnians they'd saved. Caspian looked up, seeing something beyond me. I looked up, too, and saw the fog coming back. He wrapped an arm around me and lifted me up. I struggled, insisting that we needed to bury the Cat properly. He whispered in my ear that there was nothing we could do now except help the Narnians we'd saved. I still struggled, ignoring him and keeping my eyes on the Cat. He lifted me up into Destrier's saddle with one hand and got on with the other. He reached out and clipped a lead rope onto Leilani, using one arm to hold me, and one hand to hold my horse's lead rope and his horse's reins. We all got out of there quickly.

That night, I lay in my bed, tears rolling down my cheeks. Caspian knocked on the door and came in when I consented. He crawled into the bed next to me and held me to his chest.

"Shh, shh, shh. Lu, it's okay. It wasn't your fault. It was the Witch's. If it weren't for her, you would have saved the Cat."

"But I didn't!" I retorted, glaring at him through my tears. "I wasn't able to save her."

"It's still not your fault." His hand moved from my shoulders to my lower back, and probed gently against it. I grunted in pain, squeezing my eyes shut as I remembered the injury there from when I hit the tree. I felt him reach further behind me, and grab something. My eyes were still shut from the pain, and suddenly I tasted something sweet in my mouth and realized he'd grabbed my healing cordial when the pain in my back went away. I'd never tasted the juice before, but I didn't mind it. Caspian put my cordial back where he got it and held me against his chest.

"Go to sleep now, Lu. You need it."

I listened to him, though the flow of tears down my cheeks didn't cease.


	18. Helping the Narnians

**So I finally finished reading the Narnia series, and I have to say…one book series has never made me cry so much, and never will another. Oh well. Narnia may be over, but Dear One isn't, so write on I must! Enjoy chapter 18. **

LUCY'S POV

When I woke up the next morning, I found myself alone in my room. I blinked—having fallen asleep crying, my eyes felt sore. Julia ran me a bath and I spent a good deal of time in the warm, soothing water, allowing my muscles to relax. Then I got out and got changed into a long-sleeved, floor-length maroon dress sort of like the one I wore during the hunting of the White Stag, but without the cape attached.

Once finished dressing, I stood at my window and stared at the storm raging outside. It must have come in the middle of the night, I decided, remembering that it was fairly cloudy the day before. A streak of lightning made me jump in surprise, but I calmed myself soon afterwards. I was looking down into the courtyard when I spotted Narnians struggling to get to Cair through the storm. I gasped and grabbed my midnight black cloak, clipping it on and pulling up the hood before running down through the halls and out into the courtyard. There was a centaur and a unicorn helping a few injured Narnians to the castle. Two dwarves were on the back of the centaur and a faun hung on to the neck of the unicorn and limped along; unicorns are such noble beasts that no creature, not even a king, would dream of riding one. Behind them, a Leopard limped along and an Eagle fluttered a wounded wing carefully. I ran over to them, putting one arm around the faun's waist and encouraging him to put his arm over my shoulder so I could help him walk. The unicorn gave me a tired smile in thanks, and I led them inside.

I took them to the empty ballroom, and told Susan—whom I ran into on the way—to get the Narnians some blankets and food while I went and fetched my healing cordial. When I picked it up, it felt heavier than it had the day before, and I looked at it. I smiled and whispered a quick thanks to Aslan when I saw it was full once again. No doubt there were going to be more Narnians on their way. The Witch was relentless. I gave each one of the poor creatures a drop of the juice, and saw as their wounds disappeared. The unicorn and centaur said they were going back into the forest to search for more Narnians, and I nodded. After Susan told our brothers and Caspian what had happened, Peter and Edmund insisted on helping. They took their horses went out into the storm.

"When did they get here?" Caspian asked when my brothers, the centaur—whose name was Lithos—and the unicorn—whose name was Charoite—came back with more weary and injured Narnians.

"Not too long ago," I answered, giving the injured some more drops of the fire-flower. "I saw them out in the storm from up in my room." I hadn't had the chance to take off my soaked—now cold—cloak, and I coughed.

"You'd better go get changed," Caspian whispered to me, placing a kiss on my temple. "You've healed all the injured, we can take care of them. I don't want you to catch cold again."

"Again?" Edmund echoed from the other end of the room. "I thought you said you'd take care of her!"

"I'm fine now, aren't I, Edmund?" I teased, sticking my tongue out at him. I heard Caspian chuckle before he pushed me out of the ballroom. I went to my room and changed into the dress the seamstress had made me my first day back here. I really liked that dress. Then I headed down to the ballroom again and looked around. Several Narnians were scattered here and there, but, to my dismay, there weren't many.

"Is this all you found?" I asked Charoite as he sat eating some hay given to him.

"We found groups hidden in caves that said they'd be okay, and if they were found they'd send someone here to tell us," the unicorn answered, looking up at me with kind, violet eyes. "Don't worry, Your Majesty. I'm sure they're fine." I nodded and sat next to him.

"Hungry?" Caspian asked, sitting on my other side and offering some bread. I took it and smiled gratefully at him. "Well, all the Narnians have been fed and have blankets. Most of the little ones are asleep now." I smiled and nodded, shivering and pulling my purple cloak closer to me. Caspian looked up as a couple of servants lit the fire in the large fireplace at the other end of the room. I got up and helped move several of the little ones nearer to the fire. The mothers gave me grateful smiles and joined their children.

I went back over to where Caspian and Charoite were sitting and sat down by them, allowing Caspian to wrap his arms around me and pull me close. I found my eyes fluttering closed as I sat, warm and comfortable in Caspian's arms. I was woken a little bit later as my bed appeared below me. I looked up to see warm, brown eyes looking down at me.

"Hey," I whispered to Caspian as he lay down next to me. I shifted so my head was resting on his chest. I slid my hand down his arm and entwined it with his hand. He chuckled and pulled me up to kiss me. A knock at the door caused me to jump and pull out of the kiss.

"Why does this always happen?" Caspian muttered as he got up off the bed. I followed him to the door and opened it—it _was_ my room, after all—and saw Edmund standing there, holding a little gray bundle of fur in a blanket.

"She insisted on seeing you, Lucy."

"Laika!" I exclaimed, taking the shivering Wolf cub into my arms and drying her off with the blanket she was in. I thanked Edmund and headed to my bathroom. I ran a warm bath for the wolf cub and allowed her to swim around for a while and warm up. When she got out, I dried her off and brushed her fur.

"Thank you, Queen Lucy," Laika said, curling up on my bed and falling asleep. I smiled at her and wrapped her in a blanket. The storm was still raging in full outside, and I didn't think it would be clearing up anytime soon. I hadn't even realized how late it had gotten while we were helping the Narnians, but now I realized it was getting dark. I sat down on my window-seat and stared out at the pouring rain, jumping and shivering when thunder rumbled and lightning flashed.

I felt a blanket and a pair of strong arms wrap around me comfortingly. I leaned back against his chest and closed my eyes but they opened again when another flash of lightning appeared.

"I never knew you were so jumpy when it came to lightning," Caspian commented.

"Yeah, well…I don't like storms."

"Why not? I find them comforting in way. It means a cozy day in by the fire." He picked me up bridal-style and carried me to the bed. He put me down, but I just grabbed my nightgown and headed for the bathroom. He chuckled and headed for the fireplace. When I came back out, he'd just gotten the fire going, and he came over and swept me up into his arms again. I giggled and allowed him to carry me to the bed this time. I was tucked gently into the bed—without bothering Laika, of course—and he lay beside me, his arms around me. I smiled when I noticed how thorough he'd been—even going as far as closing the curtains so that the lightning wouldn't scare me anymore. Laika woke up briefly and crawled closer to me, curling up in a ball next to me and falling back asleep.

As my eyes fluttered closed again, I couldn't help but feel that this was the way it was always supposed to be.


	19. Battle Plans

LUCY'S POV

It was a few days later, and the storm was as relentless as ever. More Narnians joined us in Cair Paravel, but most of them remained in their hiding places in the woods. I'd been spending a lot of time in the ballroom helping the Narnians—feeding them and keeping the fire lit. Caspian and my brothers discussed battle plans against the Witch. It _was_ getting out of hand.

I had just finished passing out food and had settled in my usual spot next to Charoite when Caspian came in, looking exhausted. I jumped up immediately and rushed to him. I asked him what was wrong and he looked around before pulling me out into the hallway.

"Caspian? What is it?" I asked, my brow furrowing with worry.

"We don't know if we can defeat the Witch. We've come up with so many ideas, but none of them seem to be just right. If we don't get rid of this problem, the Narnians will have no home out there, and she may even branch as far as attacking Cair Paravel."

"Have you considered combining some of the ideas?"

"Yes. Even that didn't help."

"Crap," I muttered under my breath. I turned to see the ballroom door opening, and Lithos and Charoite came out. I watched them close the door behind them before they turned to us. Lithos explained that they'd overheard the conversation and that if there was to be a war, they would help at whatever cost.

"Of course, you're most noble beasts," Caspian agreed, but then added, "But what of your families?" Charoite sighed and looked at the doors of the ballroom.

"If I explained it, they'd know it a worthy cause," the unicorn said after a moment. Caspian's chocolate eyes shifted to look at the centaur.

"My family was killed by the Witch," he said, his dark—almost black—eyes hardening. I reached out and touched his forearm. When his eyes met mine, I gave him an encouraging smile. I turned back to look at Caspian.

"If you're going to war against her, I'm going with you," I told him.

"No, Lucy, it's too dangerous."

"You can't keep me here," I pressed. "If Edmund and Peter are going with you, then I am too." I knew already that Trumpkin and Glenstorm would be going again.

"But if you got hurt…"

"I have my healing cordial."

"You could get killed."

"You know Peter and Edmund wouldn't allow that to happen."

"I just don't think it's the best idea."

"Caspian, I am going with you. You can't stop me."

"Look," he said, grabbing my arms, "I've already lost you once, I can't lose you again." He let me go and sighed, looking down at the floor. I touched his cheek gently and he looked back up at me.

"I'll be all right," I assured him, kissing him lightly. "Besides, it's better if we're together. We're stronger that way." He smiled and caught my lips in a soft kiss. Then someone cleared their throat, and I looked up to see my brothers had joined us. Edmund's mouth was curved into a smirk; Peter was completely serious.

"Did you tell her?" my eldest brother asked, looking at Caspian. He nodded. "Good." He looked at Lithos and Charoite, who had been standing a ways away to give me and Caspian some privacy, but now came back to join the conversation. Edmund also looked at them.

"I've seen you two helping Lucy take care of the Narnians," Edmund commented.

"Ay, Your Majesty. And we're going to help fight the Witch."

"Good," Peter consented, smiling at the two. "We'll need all the warriors we can get." We all walked into the ballroom, and Peter announced what was going on. He called for several warriors to join if they wished. I was happily surprised when I saw the amount of Narnians that stood up, offering to be soldiers. Most of them explained that they'd lost their families to the Witch, others said they wanted to protect their wives and children.

"Please," Caspian spoke up, stepping next to Peter, "if you do have your families to take care of, continue taking care of them. There's no need for more grieving. Serve _only_ if you wish to." Only two sat down—one faun and one dwarf—with the rest of their families and hugged them close. The Narnian warriors that had families there hugged and said their goodbyes as we headed to the throne room to discuss battle actions. Most of the meeting my brothers spoke about ways they could get to the Witch. Caspian inserted only when asked.

"They know more tactics against the Witch than I do," he whispered to me at one point. I giggled. I was turned to at one point, asking how the Witch had gotten to me. The Narnian warriors exchanged surprised glances—this was news to them. Even the Telmarine soldiers that Caspian had insisted we needed looked at me as if I was some kind of ghost.

"Well, she caught me completely off-guard then," I answered. "My mind was on something different." I hadn't told my brothers what had happened between me and Caspian then, and I intended to keep it that way. It was totally pointless now, anyway. But Caspian cleared his throat awkwardly and insisted that we focus on improving the tactics that we had at the moment. A suspicious look came over Peter's face, and he glanced between the two of us for several awkward moments.

"Anyway!" Edmund finally said, calling us all back to attention. In the end, we decided a plan of attack, and would go through with it within the next couple of days. This gave us all a chance to rest and prepare.

When the meeting was over, I went to my room and changed into my nightgown, letting in Caspian as soon as I finished. We lay in my bed, my back against his chest and his arm around my waist. I stared at the fire going in my fireplace and sighed, closing my eyes.

"I can't believe we're going into battle again," I whispered. Caspian's arm tightened around my waist.

"Well, believe it. We'll be heading off in a couple of days." He paused. "Are you sure you want to go?"

"You're not going to change my mind."

"It was worth a shot," he answered, kissing my head. "Well, since you're still going with us, you'd better get some sleep." I turned to face him and kissed him gently.

"Good night, my king," I whispered, kissing him again before cuddling up against his chest and falling asleep.


	20. The Battle

CASPIAN'S POV

Many thoughts ran through my head as I led the soldiers into battle. Lucy was by my side, her head held high and her expression confident. As we reached the farthest place into the woods—being extremely cautious—I wanted to pull her in my arms and kiss her. But that felt like we were saying goodbye, and I didn't want to feel that way…or make her feel that way.

At the last moment, Susan had told us she was joining us. She wasn't comfortable with battle—none of us were, really—but we were all used to it by now. At that moment, a thick cloud of fog came rolling in on us, and the Witch's voice laughed out evilly. I pulled Lucy behind a tree just in time to avoid a barrage of sharp-tipped icicles aimed at her. The rest of the soldiers hid behind trees as well, waiting for my signal to strike. I held Lucy close against my chest and peeked out. Another barrage of icicles flew past, slicing my cheek and neck.

"Caspian!" Lucy cried out, her hand flying to her cordial, but she pulled it back when I shook my head no. She knew I was right; a few scratches were nothing compared to the injuries that we were going to leave with. Her hand darted to her dagger when something beside us moved, and the blade flashed out, hitting the shadow. The Witch's voice cried out in pain, and I thought I caught a note of surprise.

Lucy reached out and grabbed her dagger, drawing the Witch's attention to her. The figure grabbed her arm and wrenched Lucy from my grip, and would have thrown her again if Lucy hadn't used her free hand to grab the Witch and pull her down. She sheathed her dagger and pulled out the sword I'd given her.

"Lucy, look out!" Edmund called, unsheathing his sword as well when the Witch grabbed for her. But Lucy wisely held her sword out so that the Witch grabbed the blade instead. The queen gave a sharp tug on her sword, cutting deeply into the Witch's hand. I gave the signal for the Narnians to attack, and they did, jumping in. The Witch's fog surrounded us all, and she was nothing but a shadow.

Unlike the other times we'd gone against the Witch, the fog grew thicker. Finally it became so thick that I couldn't see Lucy standing close enough to me that our arms were touching. I knew what Lucy was doing even though I couldn't see her. She was listening for the sound of the Narnians fighting, her left hand no doubt on her cordial, ready to pull it out and help someone if she had to. But both of us were focused in case the Witch attacked us. The sound of fighting went on all around us, and though I couldn't see, I could tell we were gaining the upper hand.

"Caspian!" Lucy cried out. My eyes darted to her direction, following the sound of her voice. She didn't sound alarmed; in fact, she sounded almost triumphant.

"What is it, Lu?" asked Peter's familiar voice nearby. I almost jumped; I hadn't realized he was so close.

"This fog may be magic, but it's still a fog. Wave your hand in front of you. It'll start to clear up." I did as she said, and saw that she was right. Soon, I could see Lucy again, and Peter close by his sister, his back towards her. It was a good strategy, standing back-to-back like that. I wondered if my back was unprotected and turned to see Edmund there. No, I was safe.

We stood there for a few more minutes, listening to the sounds of fighting growing weaker, and I wondered if the Witch was driving them farther away from us, or if it was the other way around. A shadow moved near me, and I turned my attention to it, wondering if it was one of our own, or our enemy. It seemed to see me and froze, not showing itself. Finally, the fog cleared up some and I could see her face. Her ice-colored eyes shifted from me to Edmund, but he didn't look very pleased to see her. In fact, he looked pretty ticked off.

"Edmund, don't!" Lucy cried out as her brother lunged toward the Witch. She was right; a head-on attack like that would do no good. She grabbed Edmund's arm and twisted it sideways. I winced; that _had _to be painful. He didn't make any sound though, but gritted his teeth. Something silver flashed by me, hitting the Witch's shoulder. She released her hold on Edmund and grabbed at it. It was Lucy's dagger.

She glared at the youngest queen, pulling the dagger out and about to throw it away when arrows hit her in the back. A few of them were Susan's. The older queen joined us, and I smiled at her. Lucy lunged to grab her dagger from where the Witch dropped it, but Jadis grabbed her and wrenched the sword out of her hand before throwing her away. She hit the forest floor and Peter ran for her, narrowly avoiding Jadis' grip. I went to maneuver around her so I could end this battle, but as I started to move, she dipped down and grabbed Lucy's dagger, throwing it and hitting me.

Pain shot through my body as the blade hit me. I could hear Lucy calling me, but I couldn't see her. I pulled the dagger out and dropped it to the ground, pressing against the wound to stop the blood flow. A couple of Susan's arrows hit the Witch again, but they didn't kill her. While Jadis was distracted by Susan, I took the chance to sneak up behind her and run her through with my sword. As I pulled it out, she collapsed to the ground, dead. Her body disappeared into a foggy or misty substance. The fog dissipated and I could see that, while we'd lost some soldiers and many were wounded, we were still very much victorious.

The pain in my abdomen where the dagger had hit me overwhelmed me and I collapsed to the ground. Lucy ran over to me and placed her hand against my cheek. I could hear her reassuring me that everything was going to be all right. I saw her pull out her cordial, and tasted the juice on my lips, but by then everything had gone dark.


	21. Memories

**So this next chapter is mostly memories seen from Lucy and Caspian's points of view. They're mostly pieces from Prince Caspian with my own spin put on it, and there are a few pieces from Voyage of the Dawn Treader, also with my own spin on it. And for those of you who are about ready to murder me because I "killed" Caspian in the last chapter, don't worry, he didn't die! He just passed out. Anyway, enjoy chapter 21!**

CASPIAN'S POV

When I opened my eyes, I was in my bed. For a second, I wondered why I was still alive. Then I remembered that Lucy had used her healing cordial on me. I blinked and looked around, wondering if she was in the room. She was. I saw her sitting on the window seat, her chin resting on her hand. She was still in the dress she'd worn to the battle, so it was either the same day or she hadn't gone back to her room. The dress she wore was the one Susan had worn in the battle against Miraz's soldiers. She even had the chain mail and the armor. But, of course instead of Susan's bow and quiver, she had her belt with her dagger and healing cordial. I smiled as I watched her, remembering when I'd met her.

_I saw the blonde boy approaching the Minotaur, and wondered if he was an enemy. I jumped at him, my sword ready. He had his own in his hand and retaliated. He knocked my sword out of my hand and swung again. I ducked, and his sword got stuck in the tree behind me. I stood and kicked him away, then tried to grab his sword. He picked up a rock and was going to hit me with it when a young voice cried out._

_ "No, stop!" The boy attacking me stopped at the sound of the voice and looked, and so I looked as well. A young girl, maybe about 12 years of age stood there. She wore a red-and-gold dress with a red belt. On the belt, she had what looked like a dagger and…a cordial. I wondered why that seemed so familiar to me. My mind flashed to the stories my professor would tell me, and the first name that flashed in my mind was…_Queen Lucy the Valiant.

_ "Prince…Caspian?" the boy asked, drawing my attention._

_ "Yes. And who are you?" I asked, though I was pretty sure I already knew._

_ "Peter!" another female voice called, this one sounding older. I looked up to see a girl in a purple dress with long, dark hair and a dark-haired boy wearing a red tunic running up._

_ "High King Peter?" I questioned, confirming my thoughts._

_ "I believe you called," he replied._

_ "Well, yes but…" I paused, allowing my surprise to show on my face at how young they all were. "I thought you'd be older." I looked over at the other three, my eyes pausing on Queen Susan. But when she dropped my gaze, my eyes darted to Queen Lucy. She grinned at me and I couldn't help but smile back._

I smiled at the memory before closing my eyes and falling back asleep.

LUCY'S POV

I sat on the window-seat and stared out into the grayness. The storm was resting for the day, but it was still cold. I knew Caspian was alive, I'd felt him breathing. My eyes wandered from the window to him. He was still asleep. I smiled and got up, walking over to the bed and kneeling down beside it, brushing his cheek with my fingers. I couldn't help but think of the time we'd appeared in the ocean, in front of the _Dawn Treader_.

_We were surrounded by water, and as I swam, I looked around, noticing that the furniture from my room was gone, and there was water everywhere. I finally broke the surface, gasping for air. I looked and saw a giant ship coming toward us. I called for Edmund and Eustace, and told them to swim. I heard three splashes, and felt an arm around me. I struggled, wanting to get away, before I heard a familiar voice telling me everything was okay._

_ "Caspian!" I said, happily surprised._

_ "Lucy," he replied, a smile spreading across his face._

_ "Edmund, it's Caspian!" I called to my brother. Caspian's arm stayed securely around me, and I couldn't help but feel that his embrace was warm and inviting. He helped me up onto a board held by ropes._

_ "Hold on," he told me, still smiling. His arm stayed wrapped around me. We got up on deck and were passed some blankets. I wrapped mine around my shoulders, shivering as wind passed by._

_ "How in the world did you get here?" Caspian asked me, taking his blanket in one arm and wrapping the other around my shoulders._

_ "I honestly have no idea." He looked like he wanted to say something else, but then Edmund came up to us. I smiled at him again before his attention turned to my brother._

I came back to the present when Caspian shifted and whispered my name in his sleep. I wondered with a smile if he was dreaming about me. I brushed his cheek again, this time startling him awake. I giggled softly as he started and grabbed my hand. His soft, brown eyes shifted to meet my blue ones and he smiled. He reached up and pressed his lips against mine. He pulled back a second later and stared into my eyes, a slight smile gracing his lips.

"Lucy, I—" he began, but cut himself off as his eyes moved to my arm. I followed his gaze and looked down, touching the bandage slightly.

"It's nothing big, don't worry," I assured him. "What were you going to say?"

"Why don't you come up here, next to me?" he suggested, sitting up. I crawled up onto the bed and sat next to him, watching as he reached to his nightstand and pulled something that looked like a little box out. I tried to see what was in it as he opened it, but he didn't let me.

"Lucy Pevensie," he said once he turned to me. He took my hand, and I wondered what exactly was going on. "Will you do me the greatest honor of becoming my wife?" I gasped in surprise as something cool slipped on my ring finger, and I looked down. The ring on my finger was a band of gold, curving into what looked like leaves. One of them was gold, and the other was tinted pink. The only thing separating the leaves was a thin band of diamonds. I was so speechless that all I could do was look back up into his eyes and nod.

A huge smile spread across his face and he pulled me into his arms and kissed me. I pulled back a few minutes later and inquired about the ring.

"It was my mother's," he explained. "She enjoyed things that were very simple. When I was given that ring, I thought of you. A friend of my mother's had given it to me, explaining that one of her wishes was that the next queen of Narnia should wear it. At the time, I thought I'd give it to you as a simple gift, but then I remembered what the woman had told me about my mother's wish, and I knew I couldn't do that."

"This…" I began, pausing, "isn't the ring Liliandil was wearing."

"I didn't think Liliandil should have it," he told me. "It felt…wrong." I laughed and kissed him again. He was now my fiancé…I was marrying him. And it felt so perfect.


	22. Telling Peter

**Oh my gosh, I can't believe I have over 40 reviews! Whoo! Please, if you read it, review. Even if it's an anonymous review, I allow those! Just comment and say, if you liked it, even if you didn't like it but all reviews are welcome. Thank you so much to all my readers! Enjoy chapter 22!**

LUCY'S POV

The first person I told about my betrothal to Caspian was Edmund. I figured since he was the least opposed to my relationship with the king, he could be a buffer for when I told Peter and Susan. Edmund seemed surprised, but happily so.

"I knew this would happen someday," he admitted, grinning at me. "I've seen the way you two are." Today I was dressed in a long-sleeve, floor-length, deep red dress. The sleeves were skintight all the way down my arm, and I fiddled with the hem on one of them. I would have been pacing at the same time, but Edmund held me in place with a hand on my shoulder. Instead, my foot was tapping quietly on the floor. The constant _tap, tap, tap_ did nothing to ease my nerves, but pacing wouldn't have either.

We were all in the throne room; Peter and Caspian were talking to Trumpkin about easing the Narnians back into their homes in the forest now that the danger was gone, Susan was sitting on her throne and reading—just like old times—and Edmund and I were standing side-by-side near the window, waiting for Peter to finish speaking. I envied how casual and at ease my fiancé looked, calmly speaking to my brother.

I turned to the window impatiently and stared out, forgetting about fiddling with the hem of my sleeve and instead crossing my arms across my chest. Edmund whispered for me to settle down, and that everything would be all right. I forced myself to take a deep breath. After all, telling my brother I was getting married was the least of my worries. My biggest worry would be that Peter would turn on Caspian…that would not be good.

My mind flashed back to the morning Peter had gotten so angry at Caspian that Aslan had to intervene, and I shuddered. I turned back around when Edmund tugged at my sleeve, whispering that it was time. We walked over and I started tugging at the hem of my sleeve again. Caspian, Peter, and Trumpkin all looked at me and Edmund as we approached, and Edmund nudged me forward the slightest bit in encouragement. Caspian came to stand next to me and wrapped his arm around my waist.

"Peter, I—we—" I corrected myself as I looked at Caspian, "have something to tell you."

"Yes? And what would that be?" my brother asked, cocking an eyebrow at me. He seemed expectant, but his blue eyes showed his surprise. Susan put down her book and walked over, apparently not wanting to miss this. That made me even more nervous, but I figured it was better to tell everyone at one time.

"Caspian and I are getting married." I finally forced myself to say it after a few minutes. Peter looked shocked; that hadn't been what he was expecting at all. I was nervous to see my sister's reaction, but she seemed genuinely happy for me. It seemed she really did accept my relationship with Caspian. Peter's next reply was one I was expecting.

"Aren't you a little…_young_ to be getting married, Lu?"

"I'm not a child, anymore Peter," I answered. "And I'm sixteen. Girls in Narnia get married as young as fourteen."

"You were eighteen the _last_ time you were betrothed," he reminded me, but then he sighed. "Well…if you're really serious about this, then all right." I squealed excitedly and hugged him. Everyone laughed.

"Congratulations, dear little friend," Trumpkin said. I laughed and hugged him.

Caspian and I were able to go walking through our garden again after what seemed like forever. It was still gray and cold and my black cloak billowed around me as the wind blew around us. It was the first time we'd been able to spend a real day alone together. Our hands were entwined and my head was leaned against his shoulder as we strolled.

"Lucy?" he asked at one point.

"Hmm?"

"Do you know when you want the wedding?"

"What about a month?"

"Is that enough time to plan a wedding? I think it should be at least two months."

"Two months? But that's such a long time!" I found myself whining. I could tell that Caspian was trying to hide his smile, but he was sort of…well, _failing_. I shoved his shoulder and rolled my eyes but couldn't help giggling.

"We'll figure it out," he amended, lifting my chin and capturing my lips in a soft kiss. I eagerly kissed him back, wrapping my arms around his neck and burying my fingers in his soft, brown hair. He deepened the kiss by wrapping an arm around my waist and putting his free hand against the side of my neck. I pulled back a minute later to catch my breath.

"You know, I think that's one of the first times we've been able to kiss without being interrupted," I commented once I had enough breath to speak. He chuckled.

"Yeah, well, I think they know to leave us alone…considering the circumstances."

"What did you say to them?" I asked after a moment, cocking an eyebrow at him.

"Nothing, why?" Caspian answered, his eyes wide with innocence. I rolled eyes and pressed my lips to his again briefly before pulling away and continuing to walk. I entwined our hands again and we sat down by the pond. We were sitting quietly when it started to rain. It wasn't a slight drizzle either; the rain poured down out of no where, and I squealed and jumped up, running for Cair. I could hear Caspian laughing behind me as I ran, and I yelled at him to shut up and it wasn't funny.

We made it inside and Caspian pulled me against his chest to keep me from slipping and falling.

"Come on," he said quietly, pressing his lips to mine. "Let's go get changed into dry clothes okay?" With a laugh I agreed.


	23. Surprise Visitor

**It's a cold, stormy day here. The perfect day for staying inside with a nice hot cup of tea and writing a fanfiction. Anyway, enjoy chapter 23!**

LUCY'S POV

It was a quiet day at Cair Paravel, except for the rain falling outside. We were all sitting in the throne room, doing our own thing. Susan sat on her throne reading as usual; Peter and Edmund had a table and chairs set up and were playing chess; Caspian and Trumpkin were on the other side of the room quietly speaking to one another; and I found the one window-seat in the entire room and claimed it for myself as I sat staring out at the rain.

After a while, the silence got boring, but I continued to sit and stare out the window, feeling too lazy to get up and do anything else. I heard Peter comment quietly to Edmund that it had been a while since I'd said anything.

"Are you sure she's still alive?" I heard Edmund ask jokingly. I threw a pillow at him, hitting him in the back of the head—Peter was facing me, Edmund facing away. My eldest brother laughed aloud, breaking the long silence and causing everyone else in the room to turn and stare at him in confusion.

"What's so funny?" Susan asked, closing her book.

"Oh, nothing," Peter answered after a minute, bending down and picking up the pillow before throwing it back to me. "Just something Lucy did." I noticed Caspian turned to look at me in confusion, and I shook my head, signaling I'd explain it later. After that initial moment, everything grew quiet again. Trumpkin left the room after a while, and Caspian stood staring out the opposite window.

I leaned my head against the wall behind me and shifted my gaze back out the window. I was looking down in the courtyard, and if I looked just right, I could see my bedroom window. So I had the same view, just from a different angle. It was then I saw a girl coming out of the woods and running towards Cair. If I was in my room, I could see her face. But I wasn't, so I couldn't.

Even from behind she looked slightly familiar, and there was something about her that prevented me from jumping up and telling everyone there was someone down in the rain. I stared at her and watched as she hesitated by the giant double doors (the guards were inside because the storm was so bad). She looked left, right, and behind her before reaching for the knocker. When she looked behind her, I got a good look at her face and gasped. It couldn't be…. What was she doing here?

I stood calmly from the window seat, hoping my expression appeared bored, and walked silently out of the room. I walked for a bit, listening for the sound of the door opening and footsteps following me. When I did inevitably hear the door start to creak open, I ducked into an empty room and waited for whomever it was to pass by. For a second I wondered if the sound of the knocker caught anyone's attention, and then I peaked out of the room cautiously and saw Caspian walk by, looking around. I hid again just in time to avoid being seen. I held my breath and waited for what seemed like an eternity until his footsteps faded and the throne room door closed again.

I peeked out and made sure no one else I knew was coming before heading back out into the hall and hurrying down to the double doors. I had to duck into several dark hallways and empty rooms to avoid being seen and stopped by someone. Charoite—he, his family, and Lithos decided to stay at Cair—caught sight of me, but seemed to sense that I was in a hurry and let me by. I finally reached the large double doors separating me and the girl. The knocker sounded again—_bam_, _bam_, _bam_ against the heavy wooden doors. The guards noticed me and opened the doors when I told them to.

The familiar blonde girl, now pouring water off of her—it was raining really hard out—stood there and came inside hurriedly. I offered to help her get a change of clothes, and she, though glaring at me, agreed. I took her up to my room and had Julia run a bath for her. I got her one of my old dresses and set it out on the bed for her. A knock sounded at my door, and I answered it instead of Julia, seeing Caspian there.

"Where have you been?" he asked as I stepped out into the hallway and closed my door behind me. "I've been looking everywhere for you."

"Oh, wandering," I said nonchalantly. I didn't want them knowing about our…_visitor_ quite yet.

"I passed Charoite in the hall, and asked him if he'd seen you," Caspian commented, and I froze. What did the unicorn say? "He said when he saw you, you were in a hurry. Where were you going? Are you hiding something from me?"

"Caspian, why would I hide anything from you? _What_ would I hide from you?" I asked him calmly, though inside I was freaking out.

"I don't know," he sighed. He looked at my bedroom door as voices starting speaking inside. One of them was Julia's, and I knew Caspian would recognize it. I didn't know what he would think of the other voice.

"Who's in there?" he asked. I studied his face, but thankfully he didn't look suspicious, just confused.

"Julia and another maid," I replied. I was surprised at my calm tone; my head felt like it was going to explode. I convinced Caspian that we should go find the others. He told me they were still in the throne room, and we were about to head there when my bedroom door opened. Caspian's eyes widened in surprise.

"Liliandil?"

**Dun, dun, DUUUUUNNN.**


	24. Liliandil Meets the Others

**I know most of you are probably ready to kill me for bringing back Liliandil, but don't worry about it. It'll all turn out all right in the end…just remember that throughout these next few chapters, okay? Please? Thank you! **

EDMUND'S POV

It had been a while since Caspian had left the room to find Lucy, but I figured it didn't really matter. Lu had gotten bored and decided to finally get up and walk around, and Caspian wanted some time with her alone. That's why I was surprised when the throne room door opened again and three people walked in. Two of them were, of course, Lu and Caspian, and the other I wasn't expecting at all. Peter and I were still playing chess—with my solid gold chess set of course—and I turned back to it long enough to knock my king over and surrender.

"What was that about?" Pete asked. He looked to the doorway. "Who's she?"

"Liliandil," I whispered. It was the stunning daughter of the star Ramandu. She and my younger sister seemed to have a tense atmosphere about them, and Caspian looked uncomfortable standing between them. The two girls were arguing, and my older siblings and I all walked over to the side where Caspian had moved.

"You ruined my wedding!" Liliandil was saying.

"How is it _my_ fault that Caspian called it off at the very last moment?"

"Great, now _I'm_ being dragged into this," Caspian muttered, and I would have laughed if I had known what was going on. Apparently I wasn't the only curious one. Susan and Peter were both looking at him for explanation.

"What?" Susan asked, her brow furrowed. So Caspian explained it to us.

"Wait, so you and Liliandil are the reason the Witch got to Lu?" Peter asked.

"I thought you said you were going to take care of her," I pointed out as I had a few days ago, raising an eyebrow. He chuckled, but it seemed sort of forced and awkward. He turned his attention back to the argument, but I'd lost interest. I noticed Liliandil was dressed in one of Lucy's old dresses, and wondered how _that_ had happened. The two obviously didn't like each other…and okay, that was putting it mildly. They seemed to _hate_ each other.

"And now you're _engaged_ to him?"

"I still fail to see how this is _my_ fault."

"Of course you 'fail to see it'!"

"All right, enough!" my older sister spoke up, stepping between the two. "Look, I don't know who you are, but I don't appreciate you talking to my sister like that. And _you_! Stop acting like a child!" All of us took a step back, surprised at Susan's tone.

"Now, look," Peter stepped in. "I'm sure there's an explanation to all of this, so why don't we sit down and figure it out, okay?"

"Fine," Lucy—the agreeable one—answered.

"No," Liliandil—the not-so-agreeable one—replied.

"Look, we all understand why you don't like Lucy," I began, almost getting smacked upside the head by said sister, "but there's no need to be so stubborn about it." The star looked at me for the first time and recognition lit in her eyes.

"I know you. You're King Edmund. We met on my father's island."

"Yes," I answered, grinning slightly. "Nice to see you again." Her gaze shifted to Susan and Peter and even more recognition lit up in her eyes.

"You must be Queen Susan and High King Peter."

"That's us," Susan replied, crossing her arms. She obviously didn't trust Liliandil after seeing the way she was arguing with Lucy. I couldn't say I blamed her; it wasn't the best first impression. Now that I thought about it, Liliandil was a lot different than the way she'd been when we'd met on the Island of Ramandu. I wondered why that was.

I noticed Lucy had walked away, over to one of the windows. For a second, I wondered what she was doing. Then there was a little howl, and my younger sister hurried from the room. My mind flashed to the little gray Wolf cub, and I half-smiled. Lucy and that Wolf had gotten really attached.

"What are you doing back here, Liliandil?" Caspian asked, and I turned my attention back to them.

"My father sent me. He thinks I should stay here."

I couldn't suppress a laugh. "Kind of like moving out, huh Peter?" I elbowed my brother and got a glare from him in return. Susan laughed slightly, but Liliandil and Caspian gave us weird looks.

"Never mind," Peter said quietly, looking away awkwardly. He cleared his throat. "So, um, where did Lucy go off to this time?"

"Who cares?" Liliandil scoffed quietly.

"She went to find Laika," Caspian answered, ignoring the star. "I'm going to go see if I can find them." I rolled my eyes. Peter and Susan went off to do their own thing, and I turned to Liliandil.

"So…I could show you around," I offered.

"I know my way around, thanks," she answered. I turned to walk away, hoping she'd stop me, but she never did. I sighed; this might take some work.

"Why are you so concerned about impressing her?" asked my older sister's voice behind me. I turned to look at her. She was scowling in Liliandil's direction. "She's nothing special, is she?"

"Well, she is a star's daughter," I replied, shrugging.

"So?"

"I don't know. I find that pretty impressive."

"Of course _you_ do."

"Is this about the way she was talking to Lucy, or is this about your pride?" She opened her mouth and I could tell she was about to blurt out that her pride had nothing to do with anything, before sighing, grinning and shaking her head.

"A little of both, I suppose." I chuckled.

"Yeah, I believe that." She laughed quietly.

"Look, just…be careful, okay? That girl's got an odd air about her."

"What do you mean?"

"I _mean_, she's the type to use people to get what she wants."


	25. Peter and Julia

**So I got a question asking if I named Laika after the first dog in space. Well, if I did name her after said dog, I didn't realize it. I just really like the name. In fact, before then I didn't even know there had been a dog in space. Well, you learn something new each day! Enjoy chapter 25. We're halfway through the series! Gasp!**

PETER'S POV

After the initial argument between Lucy and Liliandil, everyone dispersed. I found myself walking down the hall past my old room and Lucy's room. Out of my little sister's room came a girl probably about seventeen or eighteen with long, black hair pulled up into a ponytail. She was carrying cleaning supplies, many of which fell from her hands when she went to close the door. She sighed in frustration and closed the door before going to pick up the supplies. When I moved to help her, I noticed the surprise light up in her soft, brown eyes.

"Oh, Your Majesty! I-it's all right. I've got it."

"I don't mind," I answered, picking up what she dropped. "And my name's Peter."

"Oh, um, thank you…Peter."

"Of course." I helped her put away the cleaning supplies and we walked in silence back to my sister's quarters. "You're Lucy's lady's maid, right?"

"Um, yes, I'm Julia," she replied, blushing and looking down at her hands.

"Pleased to meet you, Julia," I told her, smiling.

"You as well, Your M—um, Peter." I couldn't help but chuckle. She was a sweet girl. "Well, I have to go help the other maids um…clean up around Cair." She curtsied lightly before walking away. I liked that she called it Cair; it showed that she was very familiar with where she was. Lucy and Caspian walked up to me, and I noticed a little bundle of grey fur in Lucy's arms and realized it must have been her Wolf cub friend, Laika.

"Peter?" my sister asked. "What are you doing standing outside my room?"

"Um…I was coming to see if you were in there, and you showed up," I lied quickly. "Just wondering where you were, I guess."

"Oh…ok…?" I could tell she didn't really buy it, but she obviously didn't want to ask any questions.

"Oh, and I met Julia," I added.

"Oh, really? Isn't she wonderful?"

"I suppose. I didn't really talk to her." There I went again, lying about it. I just didn't know if I should tell her that I'd taken a quick liking to her lady's maid. I just hoped that Julia wouldn't say anything about it later.

"Oh, well I know you'd like her if you two talked. She's a great girl," Lucy gushed, and Laika nodded in agreement. Caspian chuckled and exchanged a knowing glance with me. He knew I'd been lying, too. I waved good-bye to them and walked away.

During the course of the next few days, Julia and I saw each other a lot. I found myself walking by Lucy's room more and more, hoping to catch a glance of the girl. Most of the time I didn't, but I was able to a couple of times. Every time we met, she seemed to be getting more comfortable around me. I felt myself getting more attached to her.

"After you finish working, would you like to go for a walk on the beach with me?" I asked one day. She seemed surprised, but pleased at the same time.

"Of course, I'd love that," she answered, smiling. She looked up as Caspian approached us.

"Love what?" he asked, his tone curious.

"Hello, King Caspian," Julia said, curtsying. "P—er…King Peter and I were just talking." Caspian grinned at me.

"All right," he answered. "Pete, can I talk to you for a minute?"

"Um, sure." I looked at Julia.

"I have to get back to work anyway."

"All right. Bye." I watched her walk away before turning to Caspian. "What is it?"

"You may be able to fool Lucy, but you can't fool me," he said with a grin, crossing his arms and leaning casually against the wall beside him. "You like her, don't you?"

"Well, yeah, she's a lovely girl," I answered.

"That's not what I meant, and you know it," Caspian chuckled, raising an eyebrow.

"Well, I don't know if I like her like that. She reminds me of Lucy." I saw the young king's eyes soften at my sister's—his fiancée's—name. I internally cringed at the idea of my youngest sister getting married so young, but I kept reminding myself that it was to a man I knew and trusted. I knew Caspian would treat her right—I could tell from the way he looked at her how much he truly loved her. I shook my head and returned to the matter at hand.

"Yeah," Caspian agreed, nodding. "They definitely are a lot alike. Which is why I knew Julia and Lucy would end up good friends."

"Lucy would have made friends with any of the maids."

"Yes, but I think it's different with Julia. They're so alike, they're almost sisters."

"Yeah. But of course, Lucy and Susan—" I began, but was cut off I spotted Lucy coming down the hall. I noticed Julia was with her, and heard them talking. I caught something about how Julia was going to take a break, and Lucy insisting she take the rest of the day off. My sister looked up at me and Caspian. She grinned at me before turning and kissing her fiancé. My anger flared up a little, but I kept telling myself everything was all right, that this would happen whether I wanted it to or not. And to be honest, when I saw Caspian's arm go around Lucy's waist possessively and his free hand reach up to cup her cheek, I had to admit that I did like them being together. It made Lu extremely happy.

Julia walked up next to me and motioned for us to go. I looked at Lucy quickly, but she and Caspian were speaking in low voices, their noses brushing, and I knew they were completely ignoring us now. I took Julia's hand and we headed out of Cair and down to the beach. We ended up walking barefoot through the light waves, talking, laughing, and occasionally splashing each other with the water. I had to admit, while Julia reminded me a lot of Lucy, I didn't view her as a sister. Especially not by the end of the day, when she was leaning her head against my shoulder as we walked back to Cair. Maybe, just maybe, I could be falling in love.


	26. The Archenland Captain

CASPIAN'S POV

I recalled Peter being there when Lucy approached me, but when her lips met mine, I didn't entirely care anymore. I wrapped my arm around her waist and cupped her cheek with my free hand. When I pulled back, she pouted, but I kissed her nose and she giggled.

"What were you up to?" I asked, our noses brushing as I pressed my forehead against hers.

"Oh, Susan says that some men from Archenland were here to see you. I came to pass along the message."

"Is she alone with them?"

"No, Trumpkin and Edmund are with her. Why?" she asked, her beautiful grey-blue eyes displaying her confusion.

"Then they can wait," I replied huskily before I pressed my lips to hers once again. I picked her up and carried her into her room before setting her down and breaking the kiss long enough to close and lock the door. She giggled slightly as I pressed my lips feverishly against hers again. I didn't bother pulling back to ask what was so funny.

Her back was pressed against the wall by the door, and my hands were on either side of her head, while hers unbuttoned my shirt and wandered my chest. I sighed at her touch and deepened the kiss. Just when I thought it impossible that anyone or anything could interrupt us, a knock at the door startled us.

"Who is it?" Lucy called, almost breathlessly.

"Caspian, I know you're in there," Edmund's voice called through the door. "The soldiers from Archenland are getting impatient."

"Be out in a minute," I answered, turning my attention back to my fiancée. Our lips met again, but I knew Edmund didn't leave. I could hear him sighing in exasperation from the other side of the door.

"You can make out with Lucy later," he said, causing Lucy to pull out of the kiss and laugh aloud. I ignored him and pressed my lips against Lucy's again. When I didn't reply, I heard Edmund's footsteps walking away. Lu pushed my shirt off all the way, and I let it fall to the floor. I wrapped one arm around her waist when I heard the sound of a key in the lock. The door swung open a second later, and I pulled out of the kiss, glaring at Edmund as he walked in.

The sight before Lucy's younger-older brother was obviously not what he was expecting to see. He knew we'd been kissing…he had no idea it was like this. I could read the surprise in his brown eyes. I looked down at Lucy, expecting her to be blushing and trying to hide it in my chest. She would have been, had it been Peter or even Susan, but we both knew well that Edmund was the most accepting of our relationship, so she stared at him and ran her right hand down my chest shamelessly.

"Like I said," Edmund began when he gained his composure, "you can make out with Lucy later." She laughed again, and I smiled at the bell-like sound. Before I was able to bend down and pick up my shirt, Lucy pulled me into a quick, passionate kiss, running her hands up my chest and locking around my neck. Ever since the kiss in the hallway to avoid being stopped by Archenland soldiers a long while ago, our kisses were getting more passionate, even the short ones. She released me, and I kissed her nose before stooping down and grabbing my shirt. I pulled it on and buttoned it up, ignoring Edmund as he grinned at me.

"Come on, I think we have some Archenlanders to deal with," I said quickly, walking out of the room ahead of my brother-in-law-to-be. He caught up to me easily enough in the hallway.

"I'm glad she's marrying you, and not some weird creep," he said after a minute. I looked sideways at him.

"You were going to marry her off to a Calormene before, weren't you?"

"She told you about that, huh?"

"While we were staying on the Lone Islands, we shared some…_personal_ stories."

"Yeah, well," Edmund sighed, ignoring my emphasis on the word _personal_, "it was different back then. We had a truce of sorts with Rabadash, the Tisroc at the time." Ever since falling in love with the endearing little queen, I hadn't liked her story much, but at the time I was fascinated that she was supposed to marry a Calormene. It made slightly more sense now.

We reached the throne room, and walked in to see several soldiers standing around in a huddle to one side of the room, but one of them was standing and talking to Susan. Trumpkin was standing close by to make sure the Archenland soldier didn't do anything rash. Edmund and I approached them, and stood on each side of the older queen.

"Caspian, Edmund, this is Captain Emmett, and those are his soldiers over there," Susan introduced us formally, and I could tell from the way she said the man's name she'd already taken a fancy to him. "Emmett, this is my younger brother, King Edmund, and Queen Lucy's fiancé, King Caspian."

"Pleased to meet you," Emmett said, nodding in respect. "So you and the little queen are betrothed after all. I'd heard, but I didn't know for sure. Congratulations."

"Thank you," I said, surprised at this man's courtesy. "Did N—King Nain send you?" I tacked on after a moment's thought.

"No," Emmett answered, rather sheepishly. "We came of our own accord. I apologize, but I wished to meet the man Narnians proudly call king. From what I've heard, both Narnians and Telmarines really respect you." He motioned to his men. "My men, myself, and a few other Archenlanders respect you as king as well."

"Thank you," I repeated, taken even more aback by how polite he was. I was also glad to hear that I was a good king. I'd heard it several times from Lucy, but hearing it from a man who wasn't even of the same land made it seem more…official.

"If you wouldn't mind," Emmett went on, "my men and I wanted to try and arrange a stronger truce with Narnia." I almost sighed, wondering how long it would take. My exasperation must have shown on my face, because Emmett's expression changed. "Of course, if you're not available…"

"Well, actually," I said, ignoring the disapproving look I got from Edmund.

"Yes, of course. I apologize; I came on such short notice," Emmett replied, nodding respectfully once more. "Should we arrange a time to meet and discuss the matter?"

"I can help you with that," Susan chimed in. "So you, Caspian, can get to your…_very important_ business." I shot the older queen a grateful look before saying good-bye and heading back to Lucy's room.

"That was quick," my fiancée commented as I closed and locked the door behind me, making sure the key Edmund had used was in the room.

"I think your sister has taken a liking to the Archenland captain."

"Oh, no. Really?"

"Yes, but he's actually quite…polite," I told her, sitting on the bed next to her. I saw her worried expression and kissed her gently. "Don't worry. Susan's a big girl. She can take care of herself," I reminded her. Lucy smiled and nodded, moving her hands to the top button on my shirt and undoing it.

"I believe you had this off before."

**Don't worry, they never go beyond a kiss! And as for all you dirty-minded people out there: shame on you! Anyway, has anybody with two older brothers ever referred to the eldest as an older-older brother and the younger as a younger-older brother, or is it just me? Hoped you liked it, I should be adding another chapter soon.**


	27. Decisions

LUCY'S POV

Lately Caspian and I had been arguing about the date for our wedding. I thought it should be as soon as possible, and he said we should at least wait until I was seventeen. I didn't see his point, which I tried to express in our arguments. Usually we'd save these little arguments for right before we went to bed, so we'd end up kissing good night and agreeing to save the issue for later.

It was during one of these nighttime arguments that I came up with a compromise, but before I was able to present it, Caspian's lips pressed firmly against mine and he pulled me against him. Our good-night kisses—well, actually, our kisses in general—were becoming more intense. Before, they were just a quick kiss and a "good night," now they were, well, full-out passionate "make-outs," as Edmund called them. Not that I was complaining; not in the slightest. But this was one of the things that made me feel like we should get married sooner rather than later, before we did anything rash.

The next morning, I woke up with my back against the warmth I knew was my fiancé's bare chest. His strong arms were wrapped around me, and I twisted around so I could face him. The curtains were drawn, so no light flooded in, and his angel face was peaceful with sleep. I couldn't help falling in love with him all over again during moments like these; moments when everything was so peaceful and perfect. It happened every time we kissed—yes, even the kisses where we were interrupted (which happened quite a bit, unfortunately).

Caspian stirred, a slight groan escaping his lips as his arms tightened around me for a moment and his eyes fluttered open. His soft lips curled into a smile when he saw me watching him, and the first thing he did was place a feather-light kiss against my lips.

"I love knowing I'm going to wake to you every day for the rest of my life," he whispered. "It makes life easy." I giggled and ran my hands down his bare chest, earning a pleasured sigh from him.

"I'm glad to know I'm good for something," I joked, and he chuckled. He knew as well as I did that everybody saw me as a helpful person. I'd been told countless times by countless people what a great girl I was.

"What time is it?" he murmured, rolling from his side onto his back and sleepily rubbing his beautiful, brown eyes. I loved it when he did that.

"I don't know," I answered, getting up off the bed and pulling back the curtain lightly. I groaned when I saw the storm clouds gathering. It had been a while since it stormed—actually, ever since the day after Liliandil arrived again at Cair over two weeks before, it had been very sunny. But winter was upon us now, and I knew that storms—snowstorms, possibly—were inevitable.

"What's wrong?" my fiancé asked, wrapping his arms around my waist and resting his chin on my shoulder.

"It's going to storm again," I answered, gesturing to the clouds outside. I could see his smile in my peripheral vision.

"Good. I like stormy days," he said, winking at me. I laughed and released the curtain, turning in his arms.

"I came up with a good date for our wedding," I said.

"Oh?" he inquired, raising an eyebrow at me. "Don't we usually save this discussion before we go to bed?"

"Yes, but this is a compromise I think you'll like."

"All right," he hesitantly agreed, pulling me by the hand back to the bed. I crawled back under the covers, shivering when I realized how cold the air outside the bed was. Caspian chuckled and joined me, his body heat and familiar scent enveloping me.

"Well, my seventeenth birthday is coming up in two and a half weeks. That's soon enough for me, and I'll be seventeen. Plus, my birthday would be the same day as our anniversary, and it would be even more special. What do you think?" I could see him really pondering this. I played with the engagement ring on my left hand and bit my lower lip—a nervous habit. He noticed this and dipped his head down to kiss me reassuringly.

"Two and a half weeks is perfect," he agreed, laughing when I squealed happily and tackle-hugged him, forcing him onto his back as he hugged me back.

"Oh gosh, Susan will love planning this," I murmured. "So will Julia." Caspian chuckled and captured my lips, rolling us over so he hovered over me.

"You're so adorable," he commented before meeting my lips with his again. A knock on the door interrupted us—surprise, surprise—and Peter's voice called in, asking if I was awake. Caspian rolled back over and pulled me so I was resting against his bare chest.

"Act like you're asleep," he whispered into my ear, and I did as he said. I heard the door opening, and could practically feel Peter's eyes on me as he peered into the room. I could hear him chuckled slightly when he saw me splayed out on Caspian's chest before the door closed again and my brother's footsteps faded down the hall.

"So we can have more time to be alone," Caspian explained in a whisper, and I giggled and looked up at him.

"You are such a mischievous devil, you know that?" I said, and he laughed before pulling me up to kiss me again. He rolled us back over so he was hovering over me again and kept his lips pressed firmly against mine. I slid one hand from his chest around to his back so that our bodies were in contact, and my other hand slid up his chest to his neck, and back down.

"I can't wait until I'm married to you," he whispered. "I don't want us to go too far now." I nodded my agreement.

"But there's nothing wrong with the way we're kissing now," I pointed out, my hand still running up and down his chest. I loved the feeling of the strong muscles underneath my hands, and knew that he was my knight in shining armor that was to protect me from any danger. He was certainly strong enough to protect me; there was no doubt about that. I could feel it when I stroked his chest and abdomen, when I ran my hands down his arms, and when I massaged his shoulders. I slid my hand up his chest now to his shoulder and squeezed it lightly.

"Hmm, I love it when you do that," he murmured, his voice lower and huskier than usual. I smiled and moved my other hand to his other shoulder and massaged it as well. He moved to lie on his side, facing away from me as I continued to massage the stress and tension from his shoulders and neck. I thought happily as my hands worked at a tight spot in between his shoulder blades, that soon we would be married. I smiled at the thought that I'd be able to get rid of his tension this way. I loved the way he sighed lovingly at my touch, and the way he relaxed and allowed me to massage the stress away. Soon I could see his breaths growing longer and more relaxed and knew he was nearing sleep.

"Sweet dreams, my king," I whispered, kissing his neck lightly.


	28. Edmund and Liliandil

EDMUND'S POV

Sure, everything was perfect for all my siblings. Peter had Lucy's maid and best friend, Julia; Susan was spending time with the Archenland captain, Emmett; and Lucy, for crying out loud, the youngest of us all, was getting married in two and a half weeks! But me? No, the girl I liked usually just brushed me off. It was getting a little better; I was able to have a conversation with her without being cut off mid-sentence. Ramandu's daughter was a lot sweeter when we met her on the island, and I wondered why that was. But then I remembered she never really did address _me_ when we were on that island, just Caspian, and Lucy when she asked a question.

Would she talk to Lucy _now_? Of course not. The star's daughter and my little sister basically hated each other. Personally, I was on both sides of the fence, something not either of the girls particularly liked, but what could I do? I wasn't about to choose some random girl over my baby sister, and yet I really liked Liliandil. I wasn't the only one who could see and understand both sides of the argument, but everyone else tried to avoid it, or act like they didn't.

"Edmund," a sweet voice pulled me from my thoughts, and I turned away from the window I was looking out to see Liliandil standing a few feet away.

"Liliandil," I answered, nodding at her. She walked closer, to stand next to me. Sighing, she sat down on the window-seat, facing me. She looked distraught. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing, really," she sighed, turning to look out the window. "It's just…I remember how happy I felt when my wedding was only two weeks away."

"Liliandil, can I…ask you something?"

"Of course," she answered, looking at me with her big, blue eyes. "What is it?"

"Were you…in love with Caspian?" My question obviously caught her off guard. I could tell she was about to blurt out "yes" when she stopped herself to think about it.

"I…well…" she paused and let out a breath. "No, I guess not."

"Then why does it matter so much?" I asked, sitting down on the window-seat next to her.

"I don't know," she admitted, looking back at me. "I guess I'm just mad that she ruined the wedding. And at the time, I think I felt like I was in love with him…or at least, I fancied him. I shouldn't have been so jealous, but before I could tell he liked Lucy, and that hurt." She sighed again. "I feel foolish now, though…because I really _don't_ love him."

"You know," I began, trying to be gentle with her, since this was the first time she was confiding in me with anything, and I didn't want to say something that offended her. "Technically, Lucy didn't ruin the wedding. She didn't say anything; she was going to let it go through. It was Caspian that called it off last minute. I'm not saying you should hate him for that," I added quickly. "But I'm saying maybe you shouldn't hate my sister so much. It really wasn't her fault."

"Yeah, I suppose you're right." She smiled at me. "I like talking to you, Edmund. It's easy."

"Easy as breathing," I agreed, smiling back. It was the first time she really directed a smile at me, and just me.

"I suppose I should go apologize to your sister for being so rude." She looked up at me. "Will you go with me?"

"Sure," I answered, standing up and offering my hand. She took it and stood as well. We headed down the hall and knocked on Lucy's door. Julia answered and explained that Lucy and Caspian were in the ballroom with Trumpkin. I thanked her and Liliandil and I walked in the direction of the ballroom. As we walked, the star reached forward and took my hand. I could tell she was a little nervous about talking to my sister. I squeezed her hand reassuringly and smiled at her.

"Don't worry about it," I whispered. "Lucy's naturally a forgiving person. It'll all be out of the way before you know it."

"Okay." It was her only reply before we reached the doors of the ballroom. She looked at them like they were the most intimidating things she'd ever seen. I could see her mustering up her courage before she stepped forward and pushed the door open. She didn't let go of my hand as we entered; rather, she clutched onto it as if it was a life raft, saving her from drowning.

Lucy noticed this. Her eyes flashed down to our entwined hands and back up to my eyes in shock. She shifted her gaze to look at Liliandil, and I could tell from her face that she had been expecting the star to be glaring at her or something close. Even more shock showed in her bright, blue eyes at Liliandil's nervous expression. We finally reached them, having gone at a slow pace. I didn't mind; I didn't want Ramandu's daughter to feel even more nervous than she already was.

"Hello, Queen Lucy," Liliandil said formally, nodding respectfully at Caspian and Trumpkin.

"Hello," Lucy answered, her tone coated in surprise.

"May I speak with you a moment?"

"Sure." Liliandil reluctantly released my hand and walked with my little sister to the other side of the room. Caspian and Trumpkin turned their gazes on me.

"Since when are you and Liliandil—" Caspian began, but I cut him off.

"We're not," I answered. "We're just friends."

"For now," Trumpkin muttered, and I couldn't help but chuckle and hope he was right. My gaze shifted back to the girls talking across the room. I knew from the awkwardness between them that they weren't friends, but at least they didn't hate each other anymore. They walked back over to us, Liliandil seeming relieved as she took my hand and Lucy seeming much more chipper than usual as she returned to Caspian's embrace.

"So what exactly are you guys doing in here, anyway?" I asked.

"Planning for the wedding," Lucy answered, smiling. "Now out, both of you. It's a surprise." I couldn't help but laugh as my little sister ushered us out of the room.

"Thank you, Edmund," Liliandil said, squeezing my hand gently and kissing my cheek before heading off down the hall in the direction of her room.


	29. Lucy's Plan

**wSo, I don't check my e-mail often, and I knew that fanfiction sends me notifications, so I figured hey, whatever, I'll check it out. I was astonished and happily surprised to find out that 70 people favorited Dear One. Thank you so much to everyone who did. I would love to put all your names down and give you credit, but unfortunately I can't. But maybe when the series is over, I'll add an author's note at the end thanking all those who added my story to their favorites. I'm sorry I can't add the names of those who simply read it, I wish I could, but I have no way of knowing. Again, thank you so much. It means a lot to me. Enjoy chapter 29.**

LUCY'S POV

As the days wore on, it started to become more obvious of Peter's fancy for Julia, and vice versa. They both knew _I _knew about them spending time with each other, but when I confronted either one about their reasons for doing so, they both said they were just friends. I expressed my frustration to Caspian one morning as we continued with the wedding preparations.

"Neither one of them will express their feelings about the other, not even to me," I ranted as I arranged a bouquet of red, pink, and white roses in a vase—I'd chosen red and pink as accent colors.

"Well, maybe you should let them figure it out on their own," Caspian suggested.

"Maybe…" I said, smiling. "Or maybe they need some…_persuasion._"

"I don't like that tone." I looked over to see him giving me a suspicious look. "What are you planning?"

"Come on!" I grabbed his hand and dragged him out of the ballroom, telling Trumpkin we'd be back later. I almost ran into Edmund before stopping abruptly and asking him if he'd seen either Peter or Julia.

"Um, Pete was in the library last time I saw him," Edmund answered, almost hesitantly. "Why, what's wrong?"

"I'll explain later," I told him before hurrying off to my room. I stopped in front of the door and Caspian finally freed his hand. "You go see if Peter's still in library, and keep him there if he is. I'll get Julia."

"Wh—"

"Just go!" I pushed him off in the direction of the library, and he went, laughing. I walked into my room to see Julia and some of the other maids cleaning up.

"Hello, Your Highness," one of the maids said, curtsying. I nodded at her and hurried over to where Julia was standing, making the bed—probably for the fifth time that morning. She was kind of a perfectionist that way. I always insisted that I make my own bed, but she says she likes to do it. _Not important, Lucy!_

"Julia, I'm headed over to the library," I said. "Would you like to come?" She looked up at me with a curious look on her face.

"Um, of course, but…I was just finishing making the bed."

"Oh, I don't mind waiting," I told her, smiling.

"I don't want to make you wait."

"It's fine, really."

"If you say so, Lucy." Julia was the only maid to call me Lucy, even though I insisted that the other maids do so—they always said it was improper and disrespectful, despite my objections. I sat on my window-seat, staring out over the courtyard. We were given a rest from the rain today, but it was still cloudy. Julia finally said she was done and we could go, and I jumped up from the window-seat before remembering I needed to keep calm.

"All right, let's go." We walked down the hall to the library, talking calmly and nodding at all who passed us. Some people gave us odd looks, and Julia would always seem uncomfortable, not that she'd say anything about it. I finally told her to not worry and that they wouldn't dare say anything, nor do they need to know if they were being that disrespectful. When we walked into the library, I was happy to see Caspian and Peter there, talking and laughing lightly.

"Oh, hello, Caspian, Peter," I said to both of them, smiling and nodding. Julia seemed surprised, but she curtsied and smiled slightly at them.

"Hello King Caspian, King Peter," she greeted, a little more formally. We joined them across the room, me sitting with Caspian, and Julia standing near Peter. After a few minutes of talking, I decided it was time to take my leave. The library was immensely large, and very complicated if you didn't know your way around.

"I'm going to go look around for some books." I looked at Caspian. "Will you come with me?"

"Sure," he answered, standing.

"We'll see you guys later," I told them as I stood before taking Caspian's hand and walking through aisles to get to the second door.

"So that's what you were planning," Caspian said, raising an eyebrow and smiling at me.

"Of course," I answered, smiling back and stopping to find a couple books before we left. "I need to have something to read when Julia comes to talk to me later. And besides, I need some new books." I grabbed a few that looked interesting before we left the room.

Later, I was sitting on the window-seat reading a book of fairytales I'd found when Julia came in, seeming ecstatic. I looked up and asked her what was going on. The other maids that were still in the room looked up in curiosity as well, then looked at me, wondering if they should leave.

"Julia, what happened?" I asked, watching her bounce up and down excitedly. She looked around at the other maids, and I nodded at them. They left, closing the door quietly behind them.

"Peter and I are courting!" Julia answered, her smile growing impossibly wider.

"Oh, Jul, that's wonderful!" I squealed, jumping up from the window-seat and hugging her.

"I know, I'm so happy!" She stopped for a second, her smile disappearing as she remembered something. "I have nothing to wear for a horse-back ride."

"Oh!" I pulled her to my wardrobe and rifled through. Finally I pulled out a tunic and a pair of hunting pants and handed them to her. "Here," I told her. "Take these. I had them fit for me, so they should fit you." She took them gratefully.

"Thank you so much, Lucy!" she enthused, hugging me before rushing into the bathroom to change. I smiled. I was happy Julia was happy. I was happy my plan worked. But most of all, I was happy my brother wasn't alone anymore.


	30. Baby Names

**The number of people who added Dear One to their favorites list has increased from 70 to 81. Thank you all so much again. I'm keeping track of all of your names so as to add an acknowledgements list at the end. Enjoy chapter 30!**

LUCY'S POV

The rainstorms had given way to snowstorms. We had more Narnians come in, and Charoite and Lithos had volunteered to go out and make sure the Narnians that hadn't come for shelter had already found shelter, and were offering it to others. I sat on the window seat in the library near the fire with a blanket around my shoulders, a cup of cocoa in my hands, a pile of books by me, and an open book in my lap. I was currently staring out into the storm, recalling memories of when I was young and had first come to Narnia. Mr. Tumnus and I would sit by the fire drinking tea and sharing stories. As I sat lost in my thoughts, I could have sworn I heard his laugh.

"Lucy?" A familiar voice pulled me from my thoughts and I started in surprise, almost—almost, but not quite—spilling my hot cocoa on myself. I looked up to see Caspian's warm, brown eyes and amused smile.

"Oh, Caspian," I sighed, pushing a lock of my red-brown hair that had fallen from my messy ponytail behind my ear.

"I'm sorry," he said, pulling up a chair. "Did I frighten you?"

"No. You just surprised me." I looked down at the almost-forgotten book sitting in my lap and back at my fiancé. "I have a question for you."

"What's that?" he asked, his eyes also moving down to the book.

"If we had a child…what would we name it?"

"What do you like?"

"Well…if it was a girl, I was thinking Alyce, or…Gael," I added, smiling as I remembered the girl that had joined us on the _Dawn Treader_. "Or maybe Rose."

"And what if we had a boy?"

"…I've only thought of one name."

"Yes?"

"…I was thinking…" I stopped and sighed, shaking my head. "Never mind, it's silly."

"No, no," Caspian said quickly, reaching out and taking my hand. "Tell me." I looked up into the swirling dark chocolate of his eyes and back out the window into the contrasting whiteness.

"I was thinking Rilian."

"Really? What made you think of that name?" he asked, and he was obviously surprised I mentioned it. It was the name of a character in a Narnian fairytale—why Narnia had fairytales at all, I don't know. Narnia was, in and of itself, a fairytale. But this one was about a human boy named Rilian that went on adventures through parts of Narnia that had never been ventured by the people of these three lands.

"It's one of my favorite stories. And maybe someday, our child will be able to venture the northern lands." Caspian smiled and squeezed my hand gently, nodding.

"If we have a boy, his name will be Rilian," he promised. He looked back at the book in my lap. "Is that what you're reading?"

"Yes," I admitted, grinning. "I've read it before, but like I said, it's one of my favorites."

"It's one of my favorites, too. But you want to know my absolute favorite?"

"Sure."

"Wait here," he told me, kissing my forehead quickly before standing and walking down through the aisles of books. When he came back, he had a red, leather-bound book in his hands. On the front, I could see the familiar shape of a golden lion. He handed the book to me and I opened it.

"'In the days of old, there was a Faun. This Faun was out travelling when he reached the Lantern Waste and met none other than a human girl there.'" I stopped and looked up at Caspian in surprise, but he nodded at the book and told me to keep reading. "'This girl turned out to be Lucy Pevensie, who later became Queen Lucy the Valiant.'" I went on reading until I noticed it stopped right after the story of our coronation. I looked up at him in surprise.

"I thought you ought to fill it with the unknown stories about you in your Golden Age," he explained. I looked carefully at the writing in the book and realized I recognized it as his.

"You took the time to write all this?" I asked, flipping back through it. The book was a fairly thick one, maybe over 1,500 pages long. There had to be about 200 pages written already.

"I've had quite a bit of time on my hands recently," he told me. "So whenever I wasn't doing anything, I sat down and wrote what I knew. Most of it is from memory. There's another book exactly like that, an empty one. You can go back through and correct any mistakes made if you wish. I just thought there should be a more detailed version of your history."

"I think yours should be in here, too," I said, smiling. "And you made no mistakes. It's all…perfect." I looked back up at him. "Thank you so much."

"It was my pleasure." I pulled him down so I could kiss him gently. When I pulled back, our noses bumped and I laughed. I heard him chuckle and he pressed another kiss to my lips.

"We have less than a week until our wedding," I realized, my heart jumping.

"Only five days," Caspian confirmed, nodding.

"Oh my gosh," I said, realization hitting me full in the face. "I'm getting married in less than a week."

"If…if you want to wait a little longer…" Caspian trailed off.

"No! No, no, no!" I said quickly. "It's not that. I'm just…" I laughed nervously, "…nervous…and excited."

"I am, too."

"King Caspian!" a voice said from the door of the library. We both looked up to see a soldier coming up to us.

"Is something wrong?" Caspian asked, standing up.

"No, Sire. There's just more Narnians here," the soldier amended, shaking his head. "I apologize if I worried you."

"No, that's all right." Caspian looked at me. "I'll be back soon, okay?"

"Okay," I agreed, smiling. He ducked down to press a quick kiss to my lips before he stood and walked out of the room with the soldier. I sat back and turned to stare back into the storm, wondering how Mr. Tumnus would react to my getting married in five days if he were here. I smiled, knowing the answer; he would be extremely happy for me.

**This is just a little fluff to fill some space. Yay! Their wedding is only five days away! I know, you guys are like, "Just get to the wedding already!" I will, don't worry! Thanks for reading! Oh, and see that little review button down there? It's calling to you. It's saying, "Click me! Click me!" LOL, please review!**


	31. Falling in Love?

**Hey, guys, sorry I haven't written in a while. I've been occupied with school and homework and stuff. Also, if you haven't checked it out already, I wrote a songfic called Lucy. Enjoy chapter 31!**

LILIANDIL'S POV

Lucy and Caspian were getting married in less than a week. I couldn't help but remember how happy I was my wedding was less than a week off, but it was for the very reason that I was having a wedding, not because of who I was marrying. I felt really horrible afterwards when I came to grips with the fact that I had never been in love with Caspian, and how horribly I had treated Lucy because of it. Though she and I weren't friends, so to speak, we were finally on speaking level with each other.

Lucy's siblings were a completely different story. Susan didn't seem to trust me and Peter couldn't care less that I was there. Edmund was really the only one who cared. I found myself spending more time with him. When I asked him about his older siblings, he just explained that Susan was jealous, and Peter didn't really know me all that well, so he just _seemed_ apathetic.

"Why is Susan jealous?" I'd asked him.

"Because you're prettier than her," he'd told me, causing me to blush.

Now I was sitting by myself in one of the many studies staring out the window. The snow was whirling around outside, and even through the thick glass, I could hear the wind howling. It made me think of a lone wolf, out in the storm, howling its grief up into the clouds. Lucy had a little Wolf friend named Laika that informed me that wolves didn't really howl at the moon, but rather it was coyotes that did that.

When I asked her why, she shrugged and said, "I don't know. We may be relative species, but I don't know much about them." I smiled as I thought of it. She was a sweet little Wolf cub. I could see why Lucy liked her company.

As I sat staring out the window, I thought. I thought of all the things that had transpired between me and the kings and queens in the castle, and I thought about Edmund. He was a sweet guy…a really sweet guy. And I could tell he liked me by the way he acted around me. At first, I wasn't sure what to think of that, but the more time I spent with him, the more I thought I liked him back. I wasn't sure…but…maybe, just maybe, I was starting to really, really like him.

"There you are, Lil," I heard Edmund call. I smiled. I was getting to like that nickname. "I've been looking for you."

"What's wrong?" I asked, raising my eyebrows in concern.

"Does something need to be wrong?" Edmund asked, pulling up a chair next to me. "I just wanted to talk to you is all."

"Oh," I said. "I've never had someone come looking for me without reason."

"Well that really sucks," Edmund commented, grinning at me. I couldn't help but laugh and smile back. Yep, I was definitely beginning to like him. I remembered acting this way around Caspian: all giggly and girly. Honestly, I'd never acted like that originally. It just wasn't _me_. But I wasn't so worried about impressing Edmund as I was Caspian, because I knew Edmund liked me already.

"Why is that?" I asked, tilting my head to the side and allowing my hair to fall from behind my ear.

"Well, I don't think there should be a reason someone wanted to talk to you," he told me.

"Thanks, but other than my father, I didn't have anybody to talk to," I reminded him.

"True, I suppose."

"So what do you want to talk about?"

"…Pretty bad weather today, huh?" he asked, and I laughed wholeheartedly.

"Really? The weather? That's kind of a stretch, don't you think?"

"I just said I wanted to talk to you. I never said I had anything to talk _about_. And yes, really, the weather," he answered, grinning and winking at me. I rolled my eyes at him and looked back out the window.

"Yeah, it is pretty bad," I answered him, half-smiling at him. I heard him chuckle.

"So you find any good books to read in the library?"

"No, why?" As soon as I said that, I felt a hard-cover book corner poke me in the arm.

"I think you might like this," he said when I turned. I looked at the book in his hand and took it, staring at the cover. It was a blank, red cover, but I opened it and saw extravagant letters inside. I closed it again and looked up to see him walking away.

"I'd better go," he explained as he reached the door and opened it. "I told Peter I'd meet him in the throne room. But I'll see you later." He turned and winked at me again before disappearing through the doorway and the chestnut wood was all I saw after that. I turned back to the book and opened it, but didn't need to read it when I saw the first page. It was a picture of my father when he was a star and my mother when she was still alive. My breath caught in my throat when I saw it. I hadn't seen my mother since she died when I was 13, and I'd missed her ever since. I wondered for a second where Edmund had gotten this, and if he even knew who this picture was of. But then I realized I didn't care, because he'd thought to give it to me anyway.

"Thank you, Edmund," I whispered quietly to the air, closing the book and holding it to my chest. There was no doubt about it now; I was starting to fall in love with King Edmund the Just. And honestly, I couldn't think of anyone better to be truly in love with.

**Thanks for reading! Now we all know what that little review button is for! Come on, press it! Y'know you want to! Plus I REALLY want to get over 100 reviews, so if you could make me feel ultra-special and do that for me, I would be greatly obliged! Til next time!**


	32. Two Days Til

**Yay! 77 reviews and 90 people who faved/subscribed to Dear One. Thank you so much! Still hoping to break 100 reviews, so if you could click the little button afterwards I'd be much obliged! Also, I got a new puppy! If you can guess her name out of the following choices, you get a virtual cookie!**

**Laika**

**Lucy**

**Susan**

**Liliandil**

**Julia**

**Again, virtual cookie to those who guess it! Maybe even TWO virtual cookies for the person that guesses it first! Who knows? Enjoy chapter 32!**

LUCY'S POV

I woke up in my bed by myself for once. Caspian had stayed up really late the night before with work, so he'd gone to his own room, not wanting to wake me. My heart skipped a beat as I realized that it was only two days until our wedding. I couldn't help but smile widely at that fact. Julia noticed my beaming smile and giggled.

"Only two days away," she commented, seeming to have read my mind. I squealed excitedly and bounced up and down on the edge of my bed like I used to when I woke up on Christmas.

"I know, I'm really excited!" I gushed, giggling like a little schoolgirl with a crush.

"Peter's been stressing about it," Julia laughed. "He keeps going on about how you're too young to be getting married, and that before it was different because you were eighteen." She rolled her eyes. "Honestly, I think he's just being too overprotective. They knew this day was coming eventually," she said casually as she helped me put my dress on. Today it was a green-and-yellow, long-sleeved, floor-length gown that would look good as a ball gown if my corset was tightened more.

"That sounds like Peter," I agreed, rolling my eyes as well as I pulled my long, curly hair into a high ponytail and tied it with a yellow ribbon. "Edmund would be stressing about it, too, if Liliandil didn't keep him company," I added, giggling and throwing on a forest green hooded cloak and a pair of riding boots the same color. Julia giggled too and pulled a couple of long strands of hair out of my ponytail and curled them around her finger before allowing them to fall in ringlets as bangs of sorts.

"There, now you're perfect," Julia said as she stepped back and analyzed my outfit.

"Thanks, Jules," I said, hugging her. After, I walked down the hall to Caspian's private study. When I walked in, he was sitting at his desk with paperwork surrounding him. He didn't seem to see me, even as I pulled up a chair across the desk and sat down. I felt bad for him, being cooped up in here with all this.

"My, you're busy," I commented quietly and casually.

"Mm-hmm," he answered, not seeming to notice he even said anything. I giggled and stood back up, circling the desk and placing my hands on his shoulders. He jumped slightly and looked up at me. Before he could say anything, I reached down and kissed him lightly.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to frighten you," I apologized when I pulled back.

"You didn't. You just surprised me," he told me, reaching up and kissing me again. "I didn't hear you come in."

"I guess that means you didn't really hear what I said, either," I teased, giggling when a confused expression crossed his face.

"I'm sorry we couldn't spend more time together lately, Lulu," he said quietly, using his new nickname for me. I kissed him on the cheek.

"That's okay," I replied nonchalantly. "In two days, you'll be _all_ mine."

"Wow," he sighed, leaning back in his chair. "It's only two days away, that's right." He seemed as amazed and bewildered as I had that morning when I woke up. "I wonder where all that time went."

"You're not disappointed, are you?" I asked, frowning.

"No! No, of course not," he amended quickly, standing from his chair and stretching. Then he pulled me into his arms and placed a chaste kiss on my lips. "Honestly, it's coming all too slowly for me." **(And everyone else. *wink*)**

"Me too," I answered, wrapping my arms around his neck and pressing my lips to his again. A knock on the door interrupted us, and Caspian pulled out of the kiss and sighed in frustration. I laughed at the expression on his face.

"Only two days," I reminded him, kissing him again quickly before letting him go.

"Come in," Caspian called as he sat back at his desk. One of his advisors—a Telmarine-born man I'd seen before—walked in and stopped when he saw me, looking between me and my fiancé with a suspicious look on his face. I innocently walked by and exited the study, closing the door behind me. Lithos had been walking by and saw the look on the advisor's face right before I had closed the door and gave me a knowing look. With a giggle, I pressed my finger to my lips and walked away. I saw his expression turn amused before I turned and walked away.

As I wandered aimlessly through the halls, I saw Laika walking up to me from the opposite direction. She nodded at me and fell into step beside me, turning around and going back in the direction she'd just been coming from a moment before. I smiled back at her and we walked in silence for a little bit.

"You're getting married in two days," she finally said when we stopped in front of a window in the hall. It wasn't storming today; rather, it was just lightly snowing, and I thought about saddling up Leilani and going for a ride through it.

"I know," I said, excitement bubbling up in me again.

"Everyone's been talking about it. The servants are preparing the ballroom for it, and no one's allowed to go in. They said it will be a surprise for you and King Caspian on your wedding day."

"That doesn't surprise me," I said, laughing lightly. I looked down at her, noticing her thick winter coat. "Would being out in the snow bother you?"

"No, why?" she asked, looking up at me with her large, golden eyes.

"I wanted to go for a horseback ride, but I don't want to go alone, and Caspian's busy," I sighed, crossing my arms across my chest with a pout.

"Sure, I'll go with you. I'm not fond of being on a horse's back, but I'm big enough to keep up with a trotting horse now," Laika answered proudly, lifting her head. It was true; she was about seven months old now, and almost full-grown.

"Sounds good," I answered, smiling at her and walking with her down to the stables.

**For those of you who don't know, wolves live about eight to ten years, and are full-grown by the time they are eight or nine months old. Just thought I'd provide you with that little bit of info. Wolves do not age or grow like people do, no dogs do in fact. Again, virtual cookies for those who guess my puppy's name! Oh, and don't get mad at me for dragging out the wedding thing. I hate the suspense too, but I prefer a longer series, don't you? Clicky clicky the review button, pleasey!**


	33. First Day

**Now…for the chapter you've all been waiting for…drumroll please…. ((drumroll))**

**Peter and Julia's first real date! Hahahahahaha! I really got you going, didn't I? I'm sooooo mean! LOL, don't kill me, I'm just having fun! Also, when it came to Julia's horse, I had a hard time. I found one called a Caspian horse and laughed really hard, even considering it at first. I didn't, obviously, but I got a good laugh out of it. Oh, Narnia, you ruined me. LOL, no I'm just kidding. But I'm serious about the horse thing. You can look it up, I'm not kidding. Enjoy chapter 33 (even if it's not the wedding)!**

PETER'S POV

I couldn't believe Lucy's wedding was in 24 hours. I'd been constantly complaining about it to Julia, and I know she didn't care, but I felt like I needed something to distract me. I was always sure that, as the eldest, _I_ would be the first one to marry. But _no_, it was my youngest sister, who was sixteen and—in my opinion—too young to marry. No, I wasn't upset with who she was marrying. In fact, I couldn't ask for someone better and more trustworthy than Caspian to be my sister's husband, not even back in England, but…well she was sixteen for crying out loud!

"We should do something today," Julia announced. "Lucy said I don't have to do any work today." I'd figured that when she had come to the library in a casual, long-sleeved, red gown rather than her usual black one that she wore for cleaning up. She was Lucy's lady's maid, but she still acted as a regular maid when she didn't have much to do. And knowing Lucy, that happened quite a bit.

"What do you want to do?" I asked. I looked out the window at the gently-falling snow. Lucy had taken Leilani for a ride the day before, and a quickly-growing Laika had gone with her for company, since Caspian had been busy. Today the two were spending some time alone in the garden. _As if they wouldn't have enough time alone after the wedding,_ I thought with a grimace before shaking the thought out of my head. It wasn't something I should be thinking about my little sister.

"We could go out and play in the snow," Julia suggested, a sly smile on her face. It disappeared after a second. "Or we could go out for a horseback ride."

"Or both," I suggested, standing up and wrapping my arms around her waist.

"Or both," she agreed, giggling and smiling up at me.

"Sounds like fun," I told her, placing a kiss on her cheek.

"Okay, but you have to agree to something," she said quickly, whirling around to face me.

"What's that?" I asked cautiously.

"No complaining about your sister's wedding at _all_ today." I chuckled and nodded. She smiled widely and told me she'd meet me in the stables in about ten minutes. I chuckled and pulled on a black hooded cloak over my long-sleeved tunic and a pair of black riding boots on.

I went down to the warm stable and greeted the stable boy—he was currently feeding Destrier and Leilani, having already fed the others—and I walked to my Spanish purebred, Etalon and stroked his nose, pulling an apple from a nearby sack and giving it to him. He whinnied appreciatively and I turned to the horse I'd given to Julia recently and did the same. The mare I'd given her was a beautiful one, a Clydesdale she named Nutmeg.

When Julia came in a few minutes later, she was wearing a long-sleeved tunic that Lucy had no doubt given to her, a pair of black pants, black riding boots, and a black hooded cloak. I chuckled and pointed out that we matched. She chuckled and threw Nutmeg's blanket on her back before saddling her up. Etalon was already saddled and bridled, so I just waited for Julia. When she finished, she grabbed a pair of gloves out of the saddle bag and slipped them on. I did the same and then we were out.

We rode in silence for a while, just enjoying each other's company and the snow before we started talking. I did as I promised and avoided the topic of Lucy's wedding—even if it was in less than 24 hours now—and instead told Jul about what we used to do on snowy days during the Golden Age. I told her about Christmases in Narnia in comparison to Christmases in England. I told her what it was like growing up as a king in Narnia, only to return to England as a boy.

She, in turn, told me about her life before Caspian allowed her as a maid in Cair Paravel. She was only seventeen, so was a young maid in Miraz's castle as a young girl. Miraz had treated her horribly, beating her if she didn't do something right, and giving her little to no food for days on end. When she did do something right, she was given an extra crust of bread. I clenched my jaw, wanting to bring Miraz back to life just to kill him again. But I pushed the thoughts from my mind when I thought I heard a soft warning growl and knew Aslan wasn't happy with my thoughts.

"When Caspian became king, I was worried that he would be like his uncle, but he treats us all very graciously. For a long time, he didn't even lay a hand on my shoulder, because I always flinched away, feeling like I did something wrong. But even when I did something I wasn't supposed to, or if I did something not the way the other maids thought I should, he would just say, 'That's okay, if you didn't make mistakes, you wouldn't be able to learn from them.'" She smiled slightly. "If it wasn't for people like Caspian or your sister or you…I would have never been able to open up like this."

Now we were sitting under a canopy of trees in the forest, where the snow was scarce on the ground. We dismounted our horses and let them rest for a while. I patted Etalon's side and stroked Nutmeg's nose before turning to Julia and pulling her into a hug.

"I'm sorry Miraz treated you that way," I said softly. "If it was Caspian's father, that never would have happened to you."

"I know," she said, hugging me back. "Thank you." I pulled her chin up and gently pressed my lips against hers. When I pulled back, her cheeks were pink and a bewildered expression was on her face. I chuckled and kissed her again.

**Aww, their first kiss! Remember, I'm trying to break 100 reviews! Please, please, please, please help! Click that little button! You know you want to! Also, no one's guessed my puppy's name yet! The choices are:**

**Laika  
>Lucy<br>Liliandil  
>Susan<br>Julia**

**Lemme give you a hint: it's REALLY obvious! **


	34. The Wedding

**Okay, none of you are guessing the most obvious answer. EXCEPT FOR srtamellark on your second try. Her name is Lucy! ((gives you two virtual cookies)) Yay! Okay, now it really is the chapter you've all been waiting for. There is no joke this time. I'm completely serious. Yes. It's time for Lucy and Caspian's wedding! Whoo! Completely, totally, and fully enjoy chapter 34!**

LUCY'S POV

This was it. The day had finally come. After all my waiting, I was finally marrying the man I loved. I wrung my hands nervously as Julia—my maid of honor, of course—finished with my hair and put my crown on top of my head. My wedding dress was white—duh—with a corset-like boddess, a long, flowing skirt, and small silver gems sprinkling it. My shoes were white ballet flats—I never was one for heels—and my hair was in an intricate braid. My crown topped off the look.

"You look stunning, Lu," I heard Peter say. "If our parents could see you now, I know they'd be really happy." I turned around and smiled at him.

"What about you?" I asked him. "Are you happy?"

"Yes, of course I'm happy," he answered, smiling back at me. I listened as the music changed, and we got into position. "Are you ready?" he whispered. I took in a deep breath, my heart pounding a mile a minute. I let out the breath as slowly as I could and watched as Julia waved at me encouragingly before walking down the aisle. I turned to look at my eldest brother and nodded.

"Yeah," I answered. "I'm ready." The music changed again and we started walking. I felt everyone's eyes on me, but I didn't pay them any attention. All I saw was Caspian waiting for me at the end of the aisle, and Aslan standing there smiling at me, his golden eyes warm. I almost looked at my brother in surprise, but kept my eyes on Caspian. I hadn't known Aslan was going to be the one marrying us. When we reached the end of the aisle, Peter took my hand and put it in Caspian's. I smiled at him before he joined Edmund and Emmett—he was courting Susan as of late.

"People of Narnia," Aslan called out in his deep, authoritative voice. "We have gathered together to join our beloved king and queen together in marriage." He turned to us. "Do you, King Caspian X, take Queen Lucy the Valiant to be your wife, to love and to hold, in sickness and health, until death do you part?"

"I do," he answered, smiling at me.

"And do you, Queen Lucy the Valiant, take King Caspian X to be your husband, to love and to hold, in sickness and in health, until death do you part?"

"I do," I answered, not realizing the tears were streaming down my cheeks until that moment.

"Please bring forth the rings," Aslan called. I turned and laughed lightly when I saw Trumpkin bringing the pillow forward. Caspian took my ring off the pillow and placed it on my left ring finger. I did the same with him.

"I now pronounce you man and wife, as King and Queen of Narnia," Aslan announced. "You may kiss the bride." Caspian pulled me into his arms and pressed his lips against mine as applause erupted around us. My arms wrapped around his neck and I pulled back a second later, laughing. Caspian chuckled and we turned and walked back down the aisle together.

Julia, Susan, and even Liliandil were crying and hugging me and congratulating me before Julia dragged me off to help me change into my dress for the reception. It was a pale red—almost pink, but not quite—with a corset-like boddess again, and a skirt that reached the floor. The shoes were a pair of pale red ankle boots with no heels—Jul knew me all too well. It was very simple, and very beautiful—very _me_.

Caspian met me outside the door, taking my hand and squeezing it lightly before we walked into the ballroom for the reception. The transition hadn't taken long; tables were set up and wonderful food was being served. Many people came up to me and Caspian and congratulated us before we finally made our way to the table at the front. I sat next to my husband—I was so happy to finally be able to call him that. Finally Julia stood up to make her speech as the maid of honor.

"In these last few months, Queen Lucy has become my best friend, practically a younger sister to me. I've known King Caspian for practically my entire life. We weren't the best of friends, but that didn't stop me from wishing him all the best, especially since he's one of the best kings Narnia has had. So when I met Lucy, even before their relationship started, I knew she was perfect for him. I'm so very happy that you two love each other, because no one could be better for you two than each other." I found myself crying again when she sat down. Then Peter, as best man, stood up and made his speech.

"Lucy is, of course, my little sister, and as an older brother, I am obligated to watch over her. I've done that my entire life, either protecting her from bullies in England, or watching her back in battles here in Narnia. I know that I am very protective of my little sister, and so as an older brother, I want her to be with someone who will take my role. I think Caspian is the perfect man for that. It's true that we haven't known each other long, but Caspian has come to be a brother to me, and I know how happy he makes Lucy. I know you will watch over her like I did, maybe even better. Congratulations." Everyone cheered as he sat down, and then got to their own conversations. I stood up and hugged my brother tightly before turning to Julia and doing the same.

"Thank you so much," I said to both of them, the tears streaming down my cheeks. That day was all I'd dreamed it would be, and I was sharing it with the man I was totally and completely in love with. I sat back down next to him and smiled widely. He leaned in and kissed me gently.

I knew that this was only the beginning.

**Okay, who else squealed when they said "I do," and then cried when Julia and Peter gave their speeches? I know I did! Which is a good sign, because if I feel it, I know my readers will! Also, this is still rated T and I'm going to keep it that way, so you can imagine the wedding night on your own! Don't worry, the ending of Dear One is far from over, as suggested by the ending sentence to this chapter. I hope you enjoyed the wedding! If you would be so kind as to click the little review button, I'd be very happy! Thank you!**


	35. The Honeymoon

**I'm sooooo sorry I haven't written in forever! I've been caught between NaNoWriMo (which I gave up on 'cause I'm lazy and couldn't keep up on my writing), and taking care of Lucy (my puppy, in case anyone remembers :D) and writing a movie. That's right, a movie! It's just a work-in-progress script right now, but when I'm in production I'll totally tell you about it! So I was going to do something different with this chapter, but my original idea was sort of lame, so I decided to go with a suggested idea. That's right, I'm doing a chapter of Lucy and Caspian's honeymoon! Don't worry, no details for those of you who are squirmish about that kind of thing. It is only a rated T story. Enjoy the fluffiness!**

LUCY'S POV

Sunlight hit my eyes, and they fluttered open, squinting for a moment as I tried to remember where I was. I wasn't in my usual bed in Cair Paravel, so at first I was a bit disoriented. Then I felt my bare back again my husband's bare chest and I remembered. After the wedding was over, Caspian and I left Cair Paravel in the capable hands of my siblings while we went to a little cottage in the woods that Caspian himself had built for our honeymoon. It was a pretty traditional wedding night—I still couldn't help but blush at that—but somehow it was special. I suppose it was special to me, being _my_ wedding night and all.

I shifted so that the sun wasn't in my eyes, and I felt Caspian stir, and heard his breathing turn from long and deep to normal. His arms around me loosened a bit and I rolled over so that I was facing him. His brown eyes met mine and a wide smile lit up his face. Before I was even able to say "good morning," he caught my lips with his in a sweet, gentle kiss. He pulled back and pressed his forehead to mine.

"Good morning, my queen," he whispered. I giggled lightly and kissed him again before snuggling against his chest.

"'Morning," I answered quietly. He pulled away from me to stretch a bit before relaxing and pulling me close again. When my bare skin met his, I shivered and tried to get closer to him; as close as I possibly could. I felt him shiver lightly, too, and knew he felt the same way.

"You hungry?" he asked.

"A little bit," I admitted reluctantly. I wasn't ready to get up just yet. He chuckled and hugged me close for a second before sitting us both up and getting out of the bed. I fell back onto the soft cushion and the down pillows and just laid there, my eyes closed in wonderful bliss.

"Come on, Lulu," Caspian's voice urged. I opened my eyes and he leaned down to kiss me again briefly. "Time to get up."

"I don't want to!" I whined, and like a little child on the first day of school, I pulled the down comforter over my head. And, like a parent trying to get their child out of bed and get ready for school, Caspian pulled the comforter back. I squealed when he picked me up and set me on my feet. I grabbed my robe and put it on before plopping down on the edge of the bed and crossing my arms, allowing my expression to turn into a pout.

"I didn't want to get up _just_ yet!" I complained.

"We'll be here for the next few days, Lucy," he reminded me with a kiss. "And we can come back whenever you want." I watched him as he finished dressing, too mesmerized by his beautiful, sun-darkened skin to remember to get myself dressed. My eyes travelled to the defined muscle on his back, rippling as he moved around, up to the curve of his neck leading to his soft brown hair. He turned and looked at me, and I had to admit my favorite part about Caspian was his warm, inviting milk-chocolate brown eyes. They'd been really dark the night before, almost black, I recalled. Another shiver travelled up my spine as I remembered that, and I closed my eyes.

"Come on, Lucy," my husband urged me, taking my hands and pulling me once more to my feet. My eyes opened to meet his again before our lips met. "I'm going to go hunting, if you want to come," he added, chuckling when I moved quickly to the wardrobe. I pulled out my outfit and self-consciously shrugged out of my robe. As I dressed, I could feel Caspian's eyes on me, and wondered if he felt the same way when I was watching him. I pulled my shirt on and buttoned it up right as Caspian came up behind me and wrapped his arms around my waist. My hands rested on top of his, and the contrast between our skin tones was stark. He had beautifully tanned skin, and I was all peaches-n-cream.

"Let's go hunting," I reminded him, smiling when he chuckled again.

When we came back, we had a deer—which would probably last us a while—and a rabbit—which I hadn't had in a while. Rabbit was, even for kings and queens, a delicacy usually saved for special occasions. I'd thought about mentioning that, but then I figured what occasion is more special than a newlywed's honeymoon?

Caspian, being the skilled hunter he was, was able to skin the rabbit quickly and effortlessly. I didn't watch as he did so—seeing them as live animals beforehand always made me feel squeamish about seeing them dead afterwards. Though there was just _something_ about how good the meat tasted that stopped me from becoming vegetarian. My vegetarian friends back in England would probably have killed me for thinking something like that, but I couldn't help it. It really did taste good.

Breakfast went by quickly and quietly. It's not that we didn't have anything to say, we just didn't want to. I found I was very content with just _being_ with Caspian. We were so comfortable around each other; we didn't need to talk to fill the silences. Somehow, even during tense times, our silences always seemed comforting and familiar. I realized that was so because Caspian had always been my best friend, and he was still my best friend, even now that I was married to him. I remembered when I was young, how I would hear grown-ups say they were glad they were married to their best friend. I used to think it was weird, and I could never imagine being married to one of my best friends, but now I knew what they meant. It didn't always necessarily mean that you fell in love with your best friend and married them—though that _was_ sort of the case with me and Caspian—but rather, you know your spouse so well that they become your best friend.

Hours went by quickly, and I found myself suggesting that Caspian and I go for a horseback ride through the forest. It was still a comfortable silence, save the horses' hoof beats, when Caspian spoke.

"You've been really quiet all day," he commented. "Is something wrong?"

"No, of course not," I answered. "I like the quiet today. It's soft and comfortable. You know what I mean?"

"Yeah," he agreed, smiling lightly. "But I've been missing the sound of your voice for a while now."

"I suggested we go for a horseback ride," I pointed out.

"That was about an hour ago."

"Really?" I asked. "Wow, time flies."

"Yes, it does. Do you want to go back? It's starting to get dark."

"Sure," I answered, and we turned around and headed back to the cottage. By the time we got there, the sky was a deep purple and the stars were shining brightly. As soon as we were back in the bedroom, Caspian pulled me close to him and pressed his lips against mine. I practically melted into his embrace, eagerly kissing him back and wrapping my arms around his neck. I could feel him unbuttoning my shirt as he gently led us to the bed.

**Teehee, more implications! You guys will have to imagine what happens yourself, though I can guess what most of you will come up with. Well, I hope to get more updates to you, and quicker than before! I don't even remember when my last update was. Oh, and I reached over 100 people that faved/subscribed to Dear One, so thanku! You will be acknowledged at the end of this series. Oh, and when this series is over, I'm planning on posting another Narnia one, called Choices. The prologue is EXACTLY the beginning of Voyage of the Dawn Treader, but it changes up a bit when I really get into it. Anyway, you know what that little review button is for! Go ahead, click it and tell me what you thought. Thanks!**


	36. A spy? Are you sure?

**Oh my GOD I haven't updated in almost a month! ((slap)) Bad me! I'm so sorry everyone, I promise it won't happen again, and if it does, well, I'll slam my head into a wall! (I can guarantee that, by the way.) Anyway, thank you to the 126 people that subscribed to/faved Dear One. Again, you will all be acknowledged at the end. And I have started writing the prologue to Choices, which I will post when I finish Dear One. Don't be discouraged by the movie-script prologue, it will get interesting! Enjoy chapter 36—gasp! 36? That means there are only 14 chapters of Dear One left! Nooooo! Okay, I'll shut up and let you read now. Enjoy!**

EMMETT'S POV

As I walked through the halls of Nain's castle, I couldn't help but think about what he'd called me in for. Half of me wondered what he needed _me_ specifically for. The other half of me wondered why he'd bothered letting me stay in Narnia for as long as I had. All of me suspected that he was up to no good. Upon entry in the throne room, I was gestured forward by Nain himself.

"Your Majesty," I said, bowing.

"Emmett, I have a job for you," he said, apparently getting straight to his point. _Go figure,_ I thought.

"Yes?" Instead of telling me exactly what it was he wanted, as I thought, he stood and put a hand on my shoulder, pulling me along as he walked out of the throne room.

"You spend a lot of time at Cair Paravel, correct?"

"Yes."

"And they trust you, correct?" I had to think about it before answering. They seemed to trust me…I knew Queen Susan did, but I wasn't so sure about her brothers. Queen Lucy and King Caspian welcomed me easily enough.

"I…believe so, Your Majesty."

"Yes, yes. That's good enough," he said, waving a hand to dismiss it. He began muttering to himself, and I only caught a few insignificant words. He continued muttering until we reached the end of the hall, and I stopped. He looked up in surprise at me.

"King Nain, I'm afraid I don't know where you're going with this, and I'd like to know."

"Yes, yes." He paused and stared at me for a while; I started to feel a little uncomfortable under his scrutinizing gaze. "All right," he finally continued. "I want you to spy for me."

"I-I'm sorry, 'spy'?" I asked.

"Yes!" Nain answered, seeming pleased with himself for coming up with such a heinous idea. What was he thinking? I couldn't spy on the people that had been so hospitable to me!

"I'm sorry, my king. I'm afraid I cannot do that." I started to walk away, but he caught m shoulder.

"You'll have riches," the king whispered. "You'll be the leader of my army. _And_," he added, "you can have any woman your heart desires." When he said that, my thoughts jumped to Queen Susan. If Nain was asking me to spy for the reasons I suspected—that is, take over Narnia—would she be kept safe?

"_Any_ woman?" I asked.

"The best!"

"Does that include someone from Narnia?" He stopped, my question obviously not quite clicking in his brain. He never _had_ been the brightest star in the sky.

"My boy, why would you want to marry a woman from Narnia? There, they are all mystic creatures and talking animals."

"That's not what I meant."

"Then what did you mean, boy? Answer!" I'm sure I wasn't the only one of the captains that hated it when he called me _boy_. I was 32 years old, not a child. Nevertheless, I kept a level head and tried to reason with him, tried to make the idea click in his mind. If I _was_ going to agree with this—and granted, I was very torn—I wanted to make sure Queen Susan would be kept safe.

"I meant would Queen Susan be of the…choices," I clarified, hesitating before the word "choices." She wasn't merchandise, after all. No woman was.

"Why, of course! And since I don't plan on allowing Caspian to live, Queen Lucy will be of availability as well!" He chuckled when he said that, but I only grimaced. He really was a horrible man. "Well, what do you think?" he continued. "Will you spy for me?"

"I…" I hesitated. "I'll think about it," I finally concluded before bowing, turning, and walking away.

I stayed in Archenland that night, in my old room in the castle. But I couldn't sleep. What I'd told Nain was true; I was thinking about my choice on the matter. To be general of the army was what I always wanted. He could leave out the riches and the women for all I cared. But then, the fact that he planned to kill Caspian was horrible. Maybe I could convince him that killing Caspian would be a bad idea. I rolled over and tried to go to sleep, but still it evaded me. My thoughts flashed to Susan, and I couldn't help but wonder what would happen between us if I did decide to spy. As of now, I could only think of the negative things. If I got caught, I'd be seen as a threat and sent back to Archenland forever. I'd probably never see her again. On the other hand, if I succeeded, Susan might hate me for betraying her. I squeezed my eyes shut, willing all my thoughts to leave my mind, and when I opened them again, it was morning. I thought the matter over again before sending a request to speak with King Nain that morning.

"Ah, Emmett, my boy!" Nain said when I entered the throne room. "Have you come to a conclusion?"

"I have," I answered, eyes on the floor.

"Well? Speak up, what is it?" I hesitated, thinking over my answer again and again, even though I'd done it several times already.

"I'll do it."

**OMG, Emmett you traitor! Well, after all the fluff and goodness that happened, I needed conflict again! I'm sooooooooooo sorry I haven't updated in forever! I promise I won't wait this long anymore! You see that little review button down there? You know what it's saying? It's saying, "Click me! Click me now!" You know what? You should listen to it, LOL. Please review! Thank you!**


	37. Beginning of the Job

**Mm'kay, so we all know that the last chapter **_**sucked**_**, because Emmett—AKA, the guy Susan's falling in love with because I'm just that generous—decided to spy on Caspian and Lucy! Gasp! Anyway, I left it off in a cliff hanger, 'cause I'm a stinker like that. Oh, and if you're keeping track, there's only 13 chapters of Dear One after this! Don't worry, I'll post Choices soon after. Enjoy chapter 37!**

EMMETT'S POV

"_So remember, just get information about Narnia's army and defenses. But try to do so in a way it doesn't sound suspicious," Nain said._

Well I wasn't stupid. I didn't need to be told not to sound suspicious. The real problem was coming up with nonchalant questions about Narnia's army. When did that ever come up in a normal, everyday conversation? I'm pretty sure that would be _never_. I wish I could have voiced my thoughts to Nain, but he'd have my head for mouthing off.

I was back in Narnia after staying the night back at home in Archenland. I realized while I was there how much I _didn't_ miss being harassed by the king, what with living in the castle and all. That was one of the problems with being the king's younger son. I was recognized and respected by my father, but not as much as my older brother because I wasn't heir to the throne.

Yes, that's right. I was a prince of Archenland as well as one of the captains. I knew since I wasn't to be the next king, the next highest rank I could get would be general. And I wasn't really king material anyway. I could see that when I looked at Caspian, and how well he ruled Narnia. He kept such a calm disposition when it came to dealing with complains during rough times. He was only 20, and had been ruling for only three years, but if you just looked at the way he responded to threats and rough decisions, you'd think he was older in years and had been ruling for 15 to 20 years. My brother would definitely make the better king. The only problem was that Nain was still only 52 years old, and far from dying. That is, until war or revolt took over and he was killed. But until then, Archenland was stuck with Nain as king.

"Lucy, don't be ridiculous. You look wonderful." I'd been wandering the halls of Cair Paravel, and realized I'd come close to Caspian and Lucy's room when Caspian's voice pulled me out of my trance.

"You're just saying that," Lucy argued. I walked closer to their voices, and saw Caspian standing outside the door, and Lucy's voice came from within.

"Really, Lulu, what's up with you lately?" Caspian scoffed good-naturedly. He leaned back against the doorjamb and noticed me for the first time. He smiled and gestured to the door, rolling his eyes.

"Nothing's _up with me_. This dress is ludicrous," Lucy insisted.

"You want someone else's opinion?" Caspian asked. A pause.

"Why? Who's out there?" I chuckled; she was good.

"Just come on out, Lu."

"No." He sighed.

"Please?"

"No."

"I'm sorry, Your Majesty," I interrupted. "But may I speak with you?" I finally came up with a way to present the question of Narnia's army to the king.

"Oh, Emmett's there?" Lucy called, opening the door and finally coming out. "I thought you meant one of my brothers." The dress she wore didn't look ludicrous at all. In fact, if she wasn't married to the man standing in front of me and I wasn't in love with her sister, I might have tried to woo her. It was a crimson red with a corset-like bodice and long, loose sleeves. The skirt was long and loose, and a ribbon was tied into a bow on the back. Her long, red-brown curls framed her face, and her crown sat atop her head.

"Lucy, really, what's wrong with the dress?" Caspian asked, raising an eyebrow at her.

"I don't like the corset or the ribbon," Lucy grimaced. Her husband's laugh rang out and he kissed her lightly before turning back to me.

"I'm sorry, love, but Emmett wishes to speak with me. I'll meet you in the garden later?"

"Of course," the queen agreed, smiling at me. Caspian bent down and kissed her softly, his arm wrapping around her waist. I felt a little embarrassed being there, but it didn't seem to bother them. Even so, I turned my head away so I didn't feel as if I was intruding on their private moment. Caspian released his wife and turned back to me. I watched as the young queen walked out of sight down the hall before following the king to a study.

"What is it you need, Emmett?" Caspian asked once we were alone in his study.

"I went back to Archenland yesterday on request of King Nain." Caspian sighed at the mention of Nain's name, but I pretended not to notice and continued on. "He said he heard that Calormen was getting restless with the peace going on and wishes to start a war." The king perked up at that, eyes wide in surprise.

"Well, that's sudden. Though I have to admit it's very like Calormen," he said quietly, pacing back and forth with a thoughtful look on his face.

"The king wishes to know of Narnia's defensive line and if you need more men."

"Yes, well I have 2,000 men in the army as of right now. About 1,300 of those men are on my defensive line alone. The other 700 I reserve for specific duties." I nodded, feeling slightly weary. He had a slightly larger defensive line than Archenland did. I wondered what exactly Nain planned on doing about that. And what "specific reasons" did Caspian mean?

"All right, thank you, Sire. I shall inform King Nain of this and let you know if I need any more information."

"Of course, Emmett. Thank you for telling me about the Calormen problem." As I left the study and watched as the king walked down the hall in the direction of the garden, I couldn't help but feel a guilty sinking in my stomach. I set off to my temporary room in Cair to write a message to my father about what I'd learned. _Only,_ I decided, _I'll modify it a bit._

**Oh no! Another cliff hanger! Aren't I a stinker? LOL, I know I just posted chapter 36, but I couldn't refrain from writing this. It's getting so interesting! Ahhh! The little review button is calling your name! Isn't it getting annoying? The only way to make it shut up is by clicking it! LOL! Please review; hope you're enjoying this despite my cliff hangers! Only 13 chapters! Oh no! Even I'm sad at the idea of finishing the series, but hey, it would have happened eventually. Review, review, review! Thanks!**


	38. Suspicions

**Oh my gosh, I just got the best laugh out of a review! I AM JANUS, I know right? What's wrong with that boy? How can he take advantage of Caspian's hospitality like that? Don't worry, all will become clear soon. Actually, in the chapter after this one. Only 12 left! Gasp! Enjoy chapter 38!**

EDMUND'S POV

I had a bad feeling about Emmett recently. Just very recently, for that matter. Actually, it started after he came back from his visit to Archenland. Normally, he was talkative and excitable by the slightest mention of…well, of anything having to do with Narnia, really. But ever since coming back from that visit, he was solemn and silent, and slightly suspicious.

Maybe I was just overreacting because he was an Archenland captain. Or maybe he was becoming ill. Or maybe he was just being suspicious in my book. What was wrong with that? Okay, maybe everything. But damn it all if I didn't listen to my suspicions and look into it. I mean, if my suspicions were correct and there was something wrong, my family and loved ones could get hurt.

One day when Emmett asked Caspian if he could talk to him, I asked if I could join. The captain looked wary when my brother-in-law agreed. The wary look didn't leave his face even when we were alone in Caspian's study. If anything, it intensified.

"What exactly is going on?" I asked.

"King Nain heard that Calormen was getting…restless."

"Nain? But we can't exactly trust that source. And I thought Calormen was perfectly comfortable with the peace so long as they got what they wanted when they wanted it. I haven't heard any complaints."

"Edmund, think about it. This sounds exactly like something Calormen would do. And while you're right about the source being…iffy, I don't want to take any chances. What if they attacked and we were caught unaware? There are people too precious for me to lose." I knew exactly who he spoke of when he said that. And I _was_ worried about attack, but not by the Calormenes. I had the sneaking suspicion that Nain made the story up to attack Narnia himself.

"I know, and you're not the only one worried about Lucy. I'm worried about my entire family." I grinned and added, "Even if there was a sneak attack, have you ever seen Lucy handle a blade? It's fairly impressive. And she's got a deadly aim with that dagger of hers." Caspian chuckled, and I shot a glance over at Emmett—who'd been silent this entire time—and noticed even he was smiling.

"So what exactly do you need to know, Emmett?" I asked.

"Well, as a continuation of our last conversation," Emmett said, nodding at Caspian, "King Nain is willing to add some of his troops to yours."

"More troops? But Narnia already has 2,000 of your men, and even more Narnians. Do we really need more troops?" I looked over at Emmett and noticed his face was even more solemn than before. Did he know how many men Caspian had? Did he know just how large Narnia's army was? Something told me yes to the first question, but no to the second.

A thought hit me, and I excused myself, saying I'd promised to meet Liliandil that afternoon. I decided I would meet with her, and knocked on her door. She answered and looked at me with wide, surprised eyes.

"Edmund? Is something wrong?"

"I need to talk to you," I said.

"Sure, come on in," she agreed, moving aside so I could make my way into the room. I paced back and forth as she sat on the bed and watched me. Several silent minutes passed that way until she finally spoke up.

"Edmund, what's going on?" She stood up from the bed and stood in my path, putting a hand on my shoulder when I paused. "Please, tell me," she pleaded, meeting my brown eyes with her sparkling blue ones.

"I-I'm not quite sure," I admitted. "It's just a hunch."

"What is?"

"You have to promise not to breathe a word of this to anyone else. Not until I figure out what's going on."

"Of course," she answered, eyes still pleading. "Please, Edmund. You're starting to scare me." I pulled her over to the bed and sat down on the edge.

"You know Emmett, right? The Archenland captain?"

"The man that's always with Susan?"

"That's the one."

"Yes, I know him. Why?"

"…I think—I'm not sure—that he might be spying for the king of Archenland." Confusion flitted in her eyes.

"W-why would he do that?" she asked, raising an eyebrow and tilting her head to one side in confusion and curiosity. She was so beautiful like that, I almost forgot her question.

"I think Nain might want to attack Narnia. He's always wanted the kingdom. Honestly, he's the most horrible king I've ever encountered. I can't believe the people have let him rule this long. That his _sons_ have let him rule this long!" She let me go on my little rant before leaning forward and kissing me lightly. Surprise took over me before I realized just what was happening and I found myself kissing her back. When she pulled away, I couldn't help but stare at her.

"Why'd you do that?"

"I wanted to see how you'd react," she admitted, giggling. "And I've wanted you to kiss me for a while now."

"Liliandil…this is serious. What if he really is a spy?"

"Don't worry so much about it. Just watch him a little more, and if things get more suspicious, you can voice your theory to Caspian. For now, just calm down, okay? You're too tense. You'll be stressed if you think about it too much." I sighed and nodded. She was right. I was too tense, and maybe I was overreacting again. Though I _was_ fairly certain about Emmett being a spy, I didn't have good, hard evidence.

"You're right," I admitted, sighing and releasing my tension. I smiled at her. "Thank you, Liliandil."

"Of c—" I cut her off with a soft kiss.

**Awww! I dunno about you guys, but I think their first kiss is adorable! And has anybody else noticed that it was the youngest sibling that got married first, not the oldest? O.o I was thinking about that the other day. It's kind of bizarre that I did that. I'm not regretting it, not at all! I dragged out the wedding much too long, so I think it came the way it was supposed to. It was just a bit…strange. Anyway, that little review button is being annoyingly irresistible again, I know it! Clicky clicky! Thanks!**


	39. Deal's Off

**OMG sorry I haven't updated in a few days. I got my computer taken away for not cleaning my room. So now not only am I updating, but my room is clean! Yay! Anyway, here goes chapter 39! Only 11 chapters left! Enjoy!**

EMMETT'S POV

I received a message back from Nain the day after my second council with Caspian. "Come back to Archenland," was all it read. Before I could find Caspian and tell him I would be gone for the day, Susan caught up to me. I didn't notice her at first, as I was keeping an eye out for the king, but when she snuck up behind me and covered my eyes, I was certainly aware of her.

"Guess who!" she said in a singsong voice.

"Susan," I answered. She pulled her hands away and I turned to face her.

"How'd you guess?" she teased coyly, twirling a lock of curly, black hair around her finger.

"No one else would do that," I pointed out. "Have you seen King Caspian anywhere?"

"He and my sister went out for a horseback ride. Why?"

"I needed to talk to him."

"Do I need to take a message for you?" she asked, giggling slightly when she said it.

I chuckled and answered, "Just tell him I was called back to Archenland by N—King Nain." She laughed at my correction and nodded.

"All right, I'll pass the message along. And I guess that means you have to go." I watched as her face fell slightly.

"Only for today," I promised. She smiled again and nodded before walking away. I chuckled lightly to myself as I turned and headed for the double doors leading into the courtyard. I turned and walked to the stable, getting my black Arabian, Titan. Finally I headed away from Cair Paravel and Narnia down the road to Archenland at a full gallop.

A couple of hours had passed between galloping and slowing to a trot—and once even a walk—before I finally made it to King Nain's castle. The guards by the gates let me in immediately, telling me my father was in the throne room waiting for me. I nodded at them and headed inside.

"Ah, Emmett, you're here!" Nain said once I burst through the throne room doors.

"The deal's off," I told him, narrowing my brown eyes.

"Excuse me?" the king said, squinting as if he hadn't heard me.

"The deal is off," I repeated. "I won't spy for you anymore."

"Father!" my older brother's voice came from behind me. I turned to see him standing there, bewilderment written on his face. "Brother? You're here? But why? I thought you were in Narnia."

"Well, obviously he's no longer there, now is he, Castor?" Nain asked, shooting a glare at my brother. "He was spying for me. But now he tells me he no longer wishes to spy. How do you think I should dispose of him?"

"_Dispose_ of me?" I echoed, hand on my sword hilt. "I'm not just some trash you can throw out! I'm your son!"

"My _second_ son. Unimportant, unwanted, and a mistake is what you are!"

"Father!" Castor objected, stepping forward.

"Stay out of this!" Nain shouted, not looking at my brother. "I knew from the moment you joined my army you were trouble. I figured this little task would put you in my favor, but _no_, you're just as rebellious as your mother!"

"Is that why you killed her? Because you thought she was _rebellious_ for voicing her thoughts?" I backfired. "Because she was useless to you unless she acted as the supporter! There's a reason she didn't support you!"

"Emmett, please," Castor pleaded, eyeing me when Nain pulled out his sword.

"Women and children are to be seen and not heard," Nain growled. "It is a law in Archenland, one that used to require much enforcement until Milah was sentenced to death."

"You could take a lesson in humility and kindness from King Caspian," I said, unsheathing my sword. Nain lunged forward, the sound of metal clanging against metal as I blocked his blow. He lunged and I blocked again. I moved swiftly forward and cut a deep gash on his arm as a warning. Castor had backed up and was keeping the guards from moving forward. His expression was grim, but when my eyes locked with his, he nodded. We both knew he was ready for the throne, and Nain wasn't fit to rule. There was another law in Archenland, one that Nain disregarded: if a king is unfit to rule, he may be overthrown.

"I don't need to learn anything from that brat!" Nain roared, lunging forward again. I was caught off-guard, and pain shot through me as the cold metal of his blade sliced through cloth and skin on my shoulder. I squeezed my eyes shut in pain for a brief moment before opening them and moving to dodge another attack. I didn't give my shoulder a second look before pivoting around Nain and driving my blade through his unguarded back. He let out a surprised, strangled gasp and grabbed a dagger from his boot, driving it into my leg before falling to the floor, dead.

I collapsed as well, cringing as I swiftly tugged the dagger from my thigh. Castor rushed over to me, clapping his hand on my good shoulder. I looked into his green eyes—he had our mother's eyes—and nodded. There was no remorse in them for our father, only determination. I knew he would be a much better king than Nain had been.

"It had to be done," my brother said, nodding at the guards to take care of the body. "Someone get the doctor in here," he added, helping me up onto the stairs leading to the throne.

Once I was bandaged up and in my room with orders not to move around much for a good 24 hours, and not to travel for 48 hours more, I sat down at my desk and pulled out parchment and a quill. I was going to tell Caspian the truth…the whole truth.

**So yay, Emmett redeemed himself! Didn't I promise you he would? Yes! I know I haven't written from Lu's POV for a few chapters, but don't worry I will in the next chapter…or maybe the one after that. Depends on the next chapter plot. Anyway, you know what the little review button is for! Clicky and tell me what you think! Thanks!**


	40. Castor's Coronation

**Oh my gosh, I'm really, really sorry I haven't updated in forever! I got hit with a cold for a few weeks, and then the past couple of days I've had the stomach flu. I just recently got over it, and I figured I better get back to you guys. Enjoy chapter 40!**

LUCY'S POV

It was after nightfall when the letter from Archenland arrived. It was addressed specifically to Caspian, so when I received it, despite my raging curiosity, I took it straight to him. He read it over silently before bolting from the room without any explanation. I followed him as he went to each of my siblings' rooms and called them to a meeting in his study. When we were all there, he read it aloud to us.

_King Caspian,_

_ There are things I've done that I'm terribly sorry about. When King Nain called me into meeting, he truly did want to know how many soldiers you had, but not for the reason I told you. Rather, he was planning an attack on Narnia, and wished for me to spy and inquire information of you. I can promise you I thought long and hard about it, and yet I still made the wrong decision. I was promised to be made general of the Archenland army, something I've wanted for many years. I did not take into account the lives that would be lost and the trust that would be lost. Today I went to Archenland upon Nain's request, as I informed Queen Susan. I do not know what he wanted me here for, but now I will never know, as I told him I would no longer act as his spy. He grew angry and said words to spite me, and we both drew our swords and dueled. He was killed in the duel, and I was injured. My brother, Castor, will be named king within the week, and I promise you he will not be as treacherous as my father. I have not completely paid for my wrongdoings of the past few days, but I ask that you would forgive me. I would explain all this to you face-to-face if I was so allowed, but alas, my injuries keep me here. Once again, I'm deeply sorry for what I have done._

_-Emmett_

When he lowered the letter, he took in all of our expressions. I also looked at the others, wondering if my brothers would look angry and if my sister would look betrayed. But they were neither hurt nor angry, to my surprise. They were all exchanging glances before looking at my husband.

"We've all acted on selfish impulses," Peter finally said. "Like when we first met. You were to be the next king, and we'd come to put you on the throne, but I took complete control without thinking."

"I snapped at you for telling me I couldn't take the gold from the deserted island back to England," Edmund added.

"And I got mad at Lucy when I found out you two were together," Susan said.

"We'll forgive Emmett if you do," Peter continued. I looked at Caspian, and he locked eyes with me, as if asking my permission. I smiled and nodded, at a loss for words.

"All right," Caspian finally agreed, sitting down at his desk. My siblings left, leaving me and my husband alone in the study. When the door clicked shut behind Edmund, I moved forward and hugged Caspian from behind. He leaned into my embrace.

"Nain's dead," Caspian whispered, mostly in disbelief, but I could have sworn I detected some trace amounts of relief in his tone as well.

"Hmm," I answered in reply. My husband looked up at me, a questioning look on his face. I shook my head and kissed him lightly.

After a few days, we received another letter from Emmett. Caspian had written him back, telling him we harbored no hard feelings for him and if he swore to never spy again, he was allowed back in Narnia whenever he liked. The ties between Narnia and Archenland were—thankfully—not broken. This particular letter from Emmett had very good news. I read it aloud to Caspian when we received it.

_King Caspian,_

_ Thank you very much for forgiving me so easily. Although I am sure I do not deserve such kindness, I appreciate it very much. My brother will have his coronation in two days' time, and I wish for you and your family to be there. I know my brother will be pleased with that, and will want to make even stronger ties with Narnia._

_-Emmett_

"Do you think we should go?" I asked.

"It sounds like a good idea," Caspian agreed, nodding. After bathing and getting dressed, I ran to my siblings and read them the letter. They all decided it was a good idea to go and see what Emmett's brother—Castor, as he mentioned in his first letter—was like.

The day of the coronation came and we were up early and heading to Archenland. When we got there, we were met by Emmett and a few of his men. He greeted us warmly, smiling at each of us in turn, his gaze lingering on Susan for a second before dropping. He led us to the throne room, where the coronation was being held. Castor was a handsome young man with shaggy blonde hair, fair skin, and bright blue eyes. He was probably a few years older than Caspian. I smiled; he reminded me of my brothers at our coronation: wide-eyed, excited to be there, and yet had that look of responsibility in his eyes.

After he was crowned king, Emmett pulled his older brother over to meet and talk to us. He smiled at us, namely at me. I could feel Caspian tense slightly at my side before wrapping his arm around my waist. I put my hand on Caspian's chest, flashing my wedding ring and smiling innocently. He nodded in understanding and looked away.

"Oh, Emmett, there was something I meant to tell you," Castor said suddenly, turning to his brother. "Do you still wish to be the general of Archenland's army?" I looked over at Emmett, and saw the light shine in his blue eyes. He looked so excited, it was a wonder he was able to keep his composure as the king's brother.

"I would be very honored," Emmett answered, smiling and nodding respectfully.

"Then we will speak with our men as soon as possible."

**Yay for Emmett! He did the right thing **_**and**_** he got his biggest wish! Yay yay yay yay! Ohhhh, I'm so tired. And when I'm tired, I get loopy. Veeeerrryy loopy. There are only two things that will cure me of this loopiness: a good night's sleep, and your reviews! So keep 'em coming! Thanks!**


	41. The Proposal

**So the last chapter was choppy and altogether SUUUUUCKED. I promise this one will be better! Enjoy chapter 41! Oh my gosh, so close to the end! Gasp!**

SUSAN'S POV

Castor's coronation was nice, if not a little awkward for me. My brothers got along easily with Emmett, stopping him everytime he tried to apologize before finally ending the matter with a simple, "Really, it's fine." I did forgive him, really, but I found I wasn't able to talk to him. It's not that I didn't want to—I did, very much so—I just couldn't think of anything to say.

With Caspian's permission, he came back to Narnia with us—yet another awkward experience for me. Once again, I was unable to say one word to him on the way back. On top of that, I could barely make eye contact with him. So why, a few days later when he asked me to marry him, did I not hesitate in saying yes?

I'll tell you exactly why—because I'm in love with him. I'm so hopelessly in love with him, I didn't even think before the word "yes" flew out of my mouth. Let me explain.

It was a typical Thursday morning in Narnia, and I'd just finished eating breakfast. Lucy and I were talking about some odd things that had been going on with her lately—increase in appetite despite having morning sickness every morning the past few days, heavy sleeping, vivid dreams—and of course my mind was focused on one thing that would explain what was happening with her during those conversations.

"Lucy, has it occurred to you that you might be—" I was cut off as Edmund approached us.

"Lucy might be what?" he asked.

"I was just about to tell her when you barged in," I scolded my younger brother. He rolled his eyes half-heartedly at me. Raging curiosity filled Lucy's blue eyes to the brim, but she excused herself and made her way down a hall in the direction of the garden. The weather had been nice lately, so she spent her spare time there with her wolf friend.

"What were you about to tell Lu?" Edmund asked.

"Do you know what's been going on with her lately?" I asked. He shook his head, so I continued. "Morning sickness, yet an odd increase in appetite, heavy sleeping, and vivid dreams?" I repeated exactly what she'd told me.

"I didn't know she had all that," my brother said, worry creasing his brow. "Do you think there's something wrong?"

"Well, if it's what I'm thinking it is, her body's responding exactly the way it should." I raised my eyebrows, willing my brother to get it without me actually saying anything aloud. He stared blankly at me for a few minutes before his brown eyes widened in understanding.

"You think Lucy's—? I mean, she and Caspian only got married a couple months ago!"

"Sometimes that's all it takes." I shrugged.

"How can you be so nonchalant about this? Can you even _imagine_ what Peter would say if he found out?"

"What can Peter do?" I pointed out. "They're married, it was bound to happen sometime."

"Yeah, but so soon? I mean, she's not even seventeen yet!"

"You know, you _sound_ like Peter. Maybe we don't need to tell him. One overprotective brother is enough for one girl, don'tcha think?"

"Don't need to tell me what?" Peter's voice came from behind us.

"Gosh, you know what? I promised…Liliandil I'd meet up with her. _Bye_!" I ran off before either of my brothers could say anything. I searched around for the star, but in failing to find her after a few minutes, I gave up and headed to the throne room. I thought about stopping by my room and grabbing the latest book I was working on, but decided against it and just went ahead into the room. As soon as I walked through the door, I collided with something solid and warm.

"Oh, I'm so sorry," a deep, familiar voice said, arms reaching out to grab mine before I fell. I grabbed onto them for support and looked up at whoever it was. Emmett's blue eyes looked back at me.

"Uh…oh, Queen Susan, I'm terribly sorry," he apologized again. "Are you all right?"

"Yes, I'm fine," I mumbled, allowing him to help me over to the nearest window seat.

"I was actually, um…looking for you," he admitted, releasing my arms. I looked back up at him and saw the nervousness in his expression. "I wanted to, um…ask you something."

"Oh. What was it you wanted to—um—ask?" I mentally slapped myself at how stupid I sounded. Normally in front of men as handsome and charming as Emmett, I was bold and flirty. Now, I felt like a nervous wreck.

"W-well," Emmett stuttered, and I gave a small sigh of relief. I was glad I wasn't the only one who was nervous. Apparently my sigh of relief sounded like a sigh of annoyance to Emmett, though, because his eyes flashed to mine suddenly and he stopped talking and stood. I could see rejection written all over his features. "I just remembered I have somewhere I have to be."

"No, wait!" I objected, jumping up and grabbing his arm. I mentally slapped myself again when he looked at me, curious this time. I must have seemed so desperate. I pulled my hand back and smoothed my dress, not meeting his gaze.

"Yes?" I flinched at his cold, business-like tone.

"What was it you wanted to ask?" I finally asked an agonizing moment later, when I had regained my composure. Surprise flashed in his eyes, and I almost laughed. He was terrible at hiding his emotions. I kept a straight face, though, and he sighed before sitting me back down. My eyes did widen, however, when he got down on one knee and pulled out a ring.

"Queen Susan the Gentle of Narnia…will you marry me?"

And that's when it happened. When that little, three-letter word popped out of my mouth. I was unable to stop it, unable to think the decision through. But I realized after I said it and Emmett's lips met mine, that I didn't need to think about it. This was what I wanted. I wanted a husband to love, and one that would love me. I'd found the man I wanted to spend my life with.

**I couldn't resist. I have to have happy endings for everyone! Review and lemme know what you think Lucy's "condition" is. I might explain it in the next chapter! *wink wink* **


	42. Big News

**Okay, since I'll probably be posting this after midnight, HAPPY NEW YEAR'S, EVERYBODY! What are your resolutions? Leave a review! Oh, and Lady Firewing, yeah I know, but I thought it was fun to tease everyone and introduce it even though I have it planned for this chapter! Speaking of, enjoy chapter 42!**

LUCY'S POV

"Lucy?" my husband's voice called in through the solid slab of wood known as a door. I heard a light tap, but didn't even bother raising my head. Every time I sat up, I got a head rush and just ended up flopping back down into bed. So I stopped trying to sit up. The door to our shared room opened and Caspian walked in, closing and locking the door behind him. He walked over and lay down next to me, pulling me close and pressing his lips to my forehead.

"Heya," I said sleepily. I wondered how I could still sound as if I was the most tired person in the world when I had been getting up to ten or eleven hours of sleep? Part of me started to wonder if there was something wrong with me. Another part wondered if I was missing something really obvious. Yet _another_ part told me that I _was_ missing something really obvious, and because of that, there was something wrong with me.

"How are you feeling?" Caspian asked, pulling back slightly to study my face. Almost every morning was the same: I'd sleep in late, get up, feel extremely sick for a good half hour or so, and then feel completely fine and then go and eat a monstrous breakfast, despite protests that I had the stomach flu and should be careful. I couldn't help it; I was always so hungry. I knew what stomach flu felt like. I would be dizzy and lightheaded every time I sat up, I wouldn't be hungry at all; even the slightest whiff of food would make me nauseous. This was most definitely _not_ the stomach flu.

"I'm all right," I answered, snuggling against his chest. His arms tightened around me and he nuzzled his nose in my hair. "Has anyone figured out anything yet?"

"There are a few theories flying around," Caspian answered cautiously after a minute.

"And those theories are…?" I inquired, pulling back to look at him. A knock at the door interrupted before he had the chance to answer, but he looked relieved at that fact. There was something he didn't want to tell me. I didn't need to be a genius to see that.

"Come in," he called, sitting up and helping me sit up, giving me a worried look and quietly asking if I felt sick as the door opened. I shook my head and looked up as Edmund entered the room. Beside him was a friendly, familiar face that I grinned at.

"Aslan!" I cried, jumping up and running to him, hitting him with such force that he almost toppled over. He chuckled and wrapped a paw around me to hug me back.

"Hello, dear one," he said in that deep, majestic voice I had missed. Caspian smiled, and then looked at Edmund.

"Was there something you needed, Ed?"

"He was just bringing me here," Aslan answered. "I wish to speak to Lucy alone for a moment." Caspian nodded.

"Of course," he agreed. Edmund grinned at me quickly before walking out the door. Caspian pulled me close and kissed my lips chastely before heading out of the room and shutting the door behind him.

"Is there something wrong, Aslan?" I asked as we headed back over to the bed. I hopped up on the edge, scooted in, and sat cross-legged facing him while he sat on the floor.

"No, of course not," he chuckled. "I just figured you ought to know before Caspian does. All women need to know they're going to be mothers before their husbands know they're going to be fathers." He paused there, waiting for what he said to sink in. Realization hit me full-on in the face like the slap of sea spray and salt wind from the painting in my room had done, so many months ago.

"I…I'm pregnant?" I asked in a small voice. I wasn't sure how to feel about that. The part of me that felt like I'd been missing something obvious screamed at me, and now I knew why. I should have known; it was part of the horrendous "_talk_" with my mother when I was about twelve.

"Yes, dear one. You are," Aslan answered, a soft, happy smile on his golden face. I opened my mouth in shock, as if to say something, but nothing came out. I couldn't speak, I couldn't think…I was completely dumbfounded. And yet…inside of me, I felt it welling. A deep, joyful excitement was growing in the pit of my stomach at the thought of being a mother.

"I-I-I can't believe this," I said softly, my smile growing every second. "I'm gonna be…I'm gonna be a mother! Oh my gosh, I'm gonna be a _mother_!" I finally squealed, jumping off the bed in excitement. "I have to tell Caspian! I have to tell him right away!"

"Of course, dear one," Aslan said. "Of course he'll want to know." That happy smile stayed on his face as he started to walk away.

"Aslan!" I said suddenly. He stopped and turned, and I ran and hugged him again. "I love you, Aslan."

"As I love you, Lucy." I pulled back from his long, warm fur and looked into his deep, golden eyes. "And Caspian loves you, too. He loves you very much, and this is something I know he wants to know."

"Yes…of course," I said, nodding. The Lion chuckled at the look of determination on my face. He followed me through Cair as I ran towards the study where I knew my husband was. I even passed Edmund and Liliandil on the way. My brother stopped me and asked me what Aslan had wanted to talk to me about. I'd just shared a knowing, joyful glance with the Lion and hastily told him I'd explain later. When I finally reached Caspian's study, I found myself hesitating. I knew Caspian would be as excited as I was…so why was I being so silly?

"Don't be nervous, Lucy. Everything will be all right." I turned back to my best friend.

"Will you stay?"

"I am always with you, Lucy. Even when you cannot see me." I took a deep breath, hugged the Lion once more, and then turned and walked into the study. Caspian—sitting at his desk, looking over some papers that he didn't seem to really be focusing on—looked up at me. The door clicked shut behind me. It was so silent, I swear one could have heard a pin drop.

"What did Aslan say?" my husband asked as I approached him.

"Well…it's good news," I said, grinning and biting my lower lip. _Stop being so ridiculous, Lucy!_ I told myself. _This is Caspian. He knows you, he loves you. He's going to love this, too!_ I took another deep breath, trying to prepare myself for telling him, and I let it out in a gust just as easily.

_It's all right, dear one,_ another voice told me. _Go ahead and tell him._

"I'm pregnant," I finally blurted, biting my lip and watching Caspian's reaction. He froze in shock for a few agonizing minutes before laughing and pulling me in a warm embrace.

"That's so wonderful!" he said, childlike glee on his face. "I can't believe it," he added in a quiet voice. "I just…I-I…I can't believe it." I giggled and he kissed me, his soft lips a wonderful reassurance that everything would be okay.

_Thank you, Aslan,_ I thought. I swear I heard his deep chuckle rumble as Caspian and I headed out of the study to find my siblings.

**Ahh, this chapter was so much fun to write! I actually took a couple of actions that I really did while writing and put them into the story—like Lucy biting her lip, for example! LOL. Hope you enjoyed reading this one as much as I enjoyed writing it. Don't worry, it's not the last chapter! If you've been keeping count, there's eight chapters left! Please review! Thanks!**


	43. Breaking the News

**Yeah, so last chapter, **_**big**_** shocker! But it's vital, so yeah. This year, I resolved to finally finish a novel I've been working on for years now and never got around to finishing. So there ya go. Enjoy chapter 43!**

LUCY'S POV

It wasn't exactly easy telling my siblings that I was pregnant. I told Susan first, seeing as she was the girl and it was just easier to say with her. I mean, she wasn't nearly as protective as Edmund and Peter. She was with Julia and Liliandil at the time I told her—Liliandil had become sort of friends again over the course of the past couple of months—and of course Julia squealed and started talking about plans for a baby shower.

"Have you told Peter and Edmund yet?" Susan asked while Julia and Liliandil discussed a baby shower.

"No," I sighed. "I can't work up the nerve to."

"Okay. Well, tell me you told Caspian before me."

"Of course! He was the first person to know," I confirmed. She nodded.

"Okay. I can go with you, if you want."

"Would you, really? Oh, thank you, Susan!" I squealed, hugging my sister. She chuckled.

"All right, all right. Let's go tell them." I pulled away from her and bit my lip, butterflies fluttering around in my stomach at the thought. "Come on," Susan encouraged, taking my wrist and pulling me along. We reached the throne room and found both of them in there, along with Caspian, Trumpkin, and Glenstorm. Caspian looked at me and my sister knowingly and pulled Trumpkin and Glenstorm aside so I could talk to my brothers.

"Hey, Luce. What's up?" Edmund asked, grinning.

"I, um…I have something I want to tell you," I answered quietly—almost in a mumble—fiddling with the hem of my sleeve.

"Is something wrong?" Peter asked, stepping forward and putting a hand on my arm, a worried look on his face.

"N-no, no, nothing's wrong," I said quickly. "Just…um…well, there's, uh…good news." I managed a small smile. My brothers looked at me expectantly and I took a deep breath, finally forcing myself to tell them.

"I'm pregnant." A long silence followed as my brothers stared blankly at me. Edmund was the first to respond.

"Well…that was…um…quick," he commented awkwardly. His eyes glazed over for a second, as if he was thinking about something before he refocused on my nervous expression and a smile lit up his face. "Hey, I'm not saying I'm not happy for you," he added, pulling me into a half-hug. I sighed a slight breath of relief and thanked him before turning to Peter.

"Peter?" I asked, my brow creasing as he finally unfroze. His answer was expected.

"Aren't you a little young?" he countered. "I mean, you're not even seventeen yet."

"We went over this before I got married," I sighed, rolling my eyes good-naturedly. "This one can't exactly be controlled." I grinned at him. That one got him to smile, and he hugged me.

"I'm happy for you, too, Lucy." Susan, who had been silent until then, spoke up.

"See? Everything's all right," she said. I laughed lightly and nodded. My husband came over and pulled me closer to him, his arm around my waist.

"I'm happy for both of you," Peter said, smiling. I could sense the bitter-sweetness in the statement, and knew all my siblings felt it. I was the youngest, and the first of us to marry and start a family. The youngest of us was growing up. I smiled slightly and gave my brother a quick peck on the cheek.

"Thanks," I said. Caspian and I left after that, walking down the hall to our room.

"So, they took the news well," he said conversationally.

"Yeah. Better than I thought they would," I admitted, sighing.

"What's wrong?"

"I dunno…I just get the feeling that I'm growing up too fast." I shrugged. "That's what it seemed like with Peter in there, at least. You should have seen the look on his face. It was like he was genuinely happy for me—which I don't doubt he is—but he also looked sad that his youngest sister is…well, married and starting a family before he is. He's the oldest of us."

"I know," Caspian sympathized, tightening his arm around me. He gave me a curious glance. "Do you think he and Julia…?" His voice trailed off, but he didn't need to finish his sentence for me to get what he was asking.

"I don't know. Maybe…I hope so. She makes him happy…truly happy. I haven't seen that in Peter in a long time." My husband nodded and smiled as we reached our room, the door being closed by Julia herself.

"Oh, hello Your Majesties," she said, nodding in respect at us.

"Hello, Julia," Caspian answered, smile kind and sincere.

"Hi, Jule," I said, grinning at her.

"Oh, Lucy, did you tell your brothers?" my friend asked. I nodded and she rushed to me, taking my hands. "What did they say?"

"Oh, Edmund smiled and said he was happy for me. And Peter's response was the expected, 'Aren't you a little young for that,' so it went fairly well."

"Good. I'm glad," she replied, smile growing wider. "We have to talk about a baby shower for you. It would be so perfect! I could get Liliandil and Susan to help me plan it! It would be wonderful!" I laughed at her and hugged her.

"You, my sister, and Liliandil can go ahead and do that. Make it a surprise for me," I told her, and she squealed with delight before rushing off to find the formerly mentioned people. I walked into the room and shut the door behind me before joining Caspian on the edge of the bed. He rubbed his eyes and smiled at me tiredly as I covered my hand with his.

"Are you tired?" I asked, my brow creasing.

"I'll be all right," he replied, his way of saying, "Yeah, but don't worry about it."

"Okay," I mouthed, smiling slightly. My eyes travelled to his lips and back up to his eyes. He leaned in and captured my lips with his, cupping my cheek lightly with one hand and wrapping the other around my waist. It hadn't been such a bad day after all.

**Teehee! They're so cute! Ahh! ((dies of adorableness, then comes back to life miraculously)) Anywho, review and lemme know whatcha thought! Ahh! Only seven chapters left! Sad face!**


	44. Baby Shower

**OMFG, I'M SO SORRY I HAVEN'T UPDATED IN FOREVER. It's due to schoolwork, the Internet going down for like EVER, writer's block, and then just laziness. Oh, just re-read chapter 23. I completely forgot about that! OoO Haha, okay, well thank you forever lucy and caspian. I'll have to remember that from here on out. LOL, enjoy chapter 44.**

LUCY'S POV

She'd gone crazy. My best friend had completely lost it. I watched as she paced back and forth excitedly, babbling first to Susan on one side of the room, and then Liliandil on the other. The other two would look up from what they were doing and smile and nod at her, then exchange amused glances, and look at me and laugh. I just rolled my eyes and smiled back at them. Finally I stepped in.

"Julia, calm down," I told her. Even as I stopped her incessant pacing, she continued moving, switching her weight from foot to foot, as if she was unable to stand still.

"But it's so exciting!" she squealed, her smile never leaving her face. I looked up as Peter and Edmund entered the ballroom, and I shot a desperate glance in my eldest brother's direction, as if saying, "Help!" He walked over.

"Hey," he said, putting his arm around Julia's waist.

"Oh, hi, Peter," Julia answered, grinning at him.

"What are you up to?"

"Oh, just talking to Susan and Liliandil about putting together a baby shower for Lucy." I looked over to the door as Emmett walked in. He smiled and nodded at me before walking over to Susan. Edmund and Liliandil were moving from place to place in the room as the star arranged and rearranged vases of flowers.

"When is it?" Peter asked, directing this question at me.

"I don't know," I answered. "I'm leaving it all up to Julia." She grinned again when Peter turned to look at her. "Oh, by the way, have you seen Caspian?" I added.

"I'm pretty sure he's in his study," my brother replied. I nodded and thanked him before heading out of the room and down the hall towards my husband's study. When I opened the door, I saw him sitting at his desk doing paperwork again. The door swung shut behind me with an almost-silent _click_ and I tiptoed my way over to the side of the desk he was sitting at and wrapped my arms around him from behind, causing him to jump slightly. I giggled when his bewildered eyes met mine.

"Oh, Lucy," he said, sighing and relaxing. "You startled me; I didn't hear you come in."

"Yeah, it's just me."

"So how's the baby shower thing going?" he asked as he stood and tucked his chair in. He turned to face me and wrapped his arms around my waist. I groaned and shifted my weight onto him, holding him tight as I rested my head against his chest. His arms tightened around me. I could feel it when he pressed his face to my hair, kissing the top of my head lightly.

"I'm guessing not that great," he added after a moment. We walked out of the study and down the hall to our room.

"She's…I'm pretty sure Jule's gone crazy," I laughed as we entered our bedroom. The door swung closed behind us with a quiet _click_. Caspian pulled me into his arms and leaned down to press his lips to mine, insistent, eager. I kissed him back, just as eager. We'd barely kissed this way in a long while. Not since I found out I was pregnant about a week ago.

"It won't be that bad," he breathed in the middle of kisses.

"Mm, have you seen Julia lately?"

"No."

"Then you have no idea how bad it actually _will_ be."

All right, so it didn't turn out as bad as I'd expected. It was very extravagant, having been planned by both Julia and finally Susan, who decided to go all out with both my baby shower and her wedding coming up soon. Apparently she thought this one of the biggest deals in the world, and I supposed she was right. I mean, getting married and actually _having_ the baby were bigger deals, but the celebrations were fairly important, as well.

Mostly it was me walking around thanking people when they congratulated me, and answering their persistent questions. I was uncomfortable when I was asked about possible names. Yes, I'd had this conversation with Caspian before, but that made it feel…personal…intimate. Caspian was with me the entire time, his arm around my waist. He could tell I was uncomfortable with answering the name question.

"We haven't decided on names yet," he interjected. I noticed some people looking at me like they were disappointed in me for not coming up with names, as if I'd already had the baby. When it was finally over, I trudged back to my room, Caspian by my side.

"You act as if you just went through a torturous event," my husband chuckled once we were in our room.

"It wasn't exactly pleasant," I replied, pulling him to me, pressing my lips to his. I felt his arms snake around my waist and tighten; my body pressing flush against his. I moaned lightly when I felt his hands slide up my back. He pulled back and chuckled breathily, his breath tickling my cheek. I nestled my face underneath his chin and yawned.

"Tired?" he asked, grinning at me. I giggled and nodded, moving away from him and changing into my nightgown. Once we were snuggled together under the covers, I felt myself start to really relax for the first time in a week.

"Good night, my queen," Caspian whispered in my ear, pressing his lips to my neck before I fell asleep.

**FINALLY, AN UPDATE! With only six chapters left! OoO! Anyway, hit that little review button for me, please! Y'know ya want to!**


	45. Susan's Wedding

**So I was finally able to post another chapter. Sorry it kind of sucked. I was forcing my way out of a weeks-long writer's block. I mean, I've had writer's block before, obviously…but it has never been this bad before. Hopefully this chapter doesn't suck as much. I'd really hate for this series to start out wonderfully…and slowly go downhill. Anyway, here's chapter 45! Enjoy!**

LUCY'S POV

It was hard to believe that not that long ago was my wedding, and now it was Susan's. While I'd asked Julia to be my maid of honor, Susan hadn't minded and in turn asked me to be hers. I couldn't refuse. I mean, after the wedding, she _was_ moving to Archenland, and I'd only see her on special occasions or whenever Emmett found the time to visit Narnia again, which wasn't much because of his new position as general of his brother's army.

The colors Susan had chosen for us—me, Julia, and Liliandil—were light blue and lavender. I didn't have much in terms of light blue, but I had several lavender-colored dresses, two of which I gave to Julia and Liliandil. They'd had theirs fitted by the seamstress to fit perfectly, and were given accents of light blue, such as trimming and a sash around the waist. I wore a lavender, long-sleeved, off-the-shoulder dress with a blue sash around my waist, tied in a bow at the back. The trimming on the hem of the skirt, bodice, and sleeves were light blue, and the flats were a pale sky blue. My red-brown hair was in perfect ringlets and pulled back into a ponytail. As usual, my silver crown topped off the outfit.

Susan looked absolutely beautiful in her wedding dress. She'd worn all white, of course, for the ceremony, and for the party afterwards she'd chosen a powdery blue, strapless dress and blue pumps. She'd worn her hair in a simple ponytail, her bangs slightly falling into her face. Her golden crown sat atop her head. Even though she wasn't to be queen of Archenland, she was still a queen of Narnia and would be able to keep the crown.

I could tell how nervous she was as she walked down the aisle, her arm locked in Peter's. I turned and looked at Emmett and noticed his smile. His brown eyes twinkled with love and adoration, and I knew he'd make my sister extremely happy.

Once the vows and the "I do's" were said, and the ceremony was over, Julia, Liliandil, and I accompanied my sister into her dressing room as the maids changed her from her wedding gown to her other dress.

"I can't believe I'm actually married," she breathed, the shock of the reality of it all written all over her face. "And to someone from Archenland, too. I always thought that once I married, it would be to a soldier from England."

"What about Caspian? Did you ever stop having feelings for him?" I asked as we walked back down the hall to the ballroom. The other two had already gone ahead of us.

"I don't think I ever had feelings for him the way you did," Susan replied, shrugging. "I could tell from the beginning you had a little crush on him."

"Yes…I was too young to say anything then, though. And I never thought I'd have a chance against you," I admitted, laughing lightly when she did.

"There was no competition, Lu. A little flirting here and there, and a simple fancy on his part, maybe…but never any real feelings." She smiled and stopped walking, which forced me to, as well. "Lucy, I don't think anyone has ever loved someone the way Caspian loves you. I can see it whenever he looks at you; that adoration and softness in his eyes. _You_ wouldn't believe it by looking at him, but honestly when you're not around, he seems stressed at the pressures of trying to be a good king. It seems with you, being a good king, no, a good _man_, comes as easy as breathing. You've made the biggest impact on him, Lu. One that I could never have made." I smiled as we continued walking, stopping her before we walked through the doors of the ballroom and hugging her.

"Thank you, Susan." I pulled out of the hug and smiled at her. "And congratulations." I nodded at her new husband as we walked through the doors. "Now go see him." She laughed and headed over to Emmett, kissing him when she reached him. I looked over to where Caspian stood with my brothers, studying him for a moment to see if what Susan said was true. He was chatting easily with some other guests, but I could tell from his eyes that his conversation was very reserved, polite, and formal. He caught me staring at him from across the room and the formal front he put on melted away to the loving, adoring look he always gave me.

"Excuse me," I heard him say before walking up to me, pulling me in for a quick kiss. "We'd better go take our seats. It's time for the speeches." I groaned and he chuckled. I was so completely nervous about my speech, afraid I was going to completely mess it up. We sat at the long table the bride and groom sat at. Finally, it was time for the maid of honor's speech. I stood slowly.

"Su, you've been around my entire life. We have our differences, and we've had our arguments over our differences, but that doesn't mean I don't want you to be happy. Emmett hasn't been around very long, but then, it doesn't take very long for people to fall in love sometimes. Em, I'm glad you're part of our family now. I know you love my sister and you'll continue loving her no matter what happens. I couldn't be more happy for you both than I am right now. Congratulations." The guests applauded as I sat back down next to Caspian, my heart racing from having everyone's eyes on me while I was speaking, just like always.

That night, as we said our goodbyes to the new couple, I couldn't help but shed a few tears. I knew I wasn't saying goodbye to her forever, like I thought I had been when I chose to stay in Narnia rather than return to England to live out a long, depressing life without Caspian and Aslan. But I knew, again, that it could be a very long time before I did see her again. But no matter what happened, as I said in my speech, I was glad she was happy.

**Aw, yay Lucy! OMG, what? Only five chapters left? NOOOOOOOOOO! Sigh…well, it has been a very long time, hasn't it? Yeah. Luckily this chapter—I think—was good enough to redeem the last chapter which, well, sucked. Bad. Anyway, review for me! Please and thank you!**


	46. Trouble

**Last chapter was sort of an "awwww" moment for Susan, getting married and all. Now! It's back to business from the fluff! Yes, that's right, another conflict (of which there are many in this very long series). This one I thought pretty interesting. What is it? Well, don't ask me! Read and find out for yourself!**

LUCY'S POV

Caspian had been pretty busy since the wedding. He hadn't heard much from Emmett, obviously, but he'd kept in contact with Castor, Emmett's brother and king of Archenland. I walked into his study one day to see him reading over a letter sent by Castor. He didn't look happy as he read it. I walked behind him and slid my hands over his chest, catching his attention.

"What's wrong?" I asked. My husband sighed and put the letter down, pinching the bridge of his nose in frustration. He leaned back in the chair and my embrace.

"Calormen. Calormen is what's wrong," he answered, dropping his hand. I sighed. Even during the Golden Age of Narnia, Calormen had been a problem. I remembered well the battle that Narnia assisted Archenland with against the country. Back when Lune was king, and his lost son, Cor, had come home. Back when Susan was to meet and supposedly marry a royal.

"What are they doing?"

"They want to expand their territory," Caspian sighed.

"But they already expanded through the whole desert!"

"I know. They want to expand onto Narnian land."

"But Archenland is just south of Narnia."

"They want complete control of it."

"You're kidding." Caspian shook his head. I sighed and let go of him, leaning back against the nearest wall.

"What are we going to do?" I asked.

"I'm going to try reasoning with the Tisroc," Caspian answered. He stood and faced me, taking my hands and pulling me upright. "Come on, we have to talk to Peter and Edmund." I nodded and laced my fingers between his as we walked out of the study and down the hall. We found Peter in the library, scanning aimlessly through books while Julia—whom I'd given the day off—followed him around, chatting his ear off. Ed was in one of the many sitting rooms, speaking to Peepiceek—Reepicheep's second-in-command, now the chief of the Mice since Reep had gone to Aslan's Country. The thought of it still made my breath catch in my throat with sorrow. I knew he was extremely happy there, but I missed the Mouse dearly.

Once we found my brothers, Caspian explained the situation with Calormen to them and the letter that Emmett's brother had sent. By the time my husband finished explaining, my brothers' faces were grim.

"We have a truce with them as of now, as I told you and Lucy when you came aboard the _Treader_," Caspian said to Edmund. "But it's very strained. It was a 'come to a conclusion or go to war' type of truce. I fear that's not enough."

"No, it's not," Edmund—the more political one of my brothers—spoke up. "Maybe you can write to the Tisroc and ask for a stronger truce in this time of peace. The last thing Narnia and Archenland want is war." Caspian nodded in agreement and turned to Peter.

"Hey, I may have been High King, but honestly without Ed, I never would have gotten the political stuff dealt with," my eldest brother chuckled. "I'm horrible when it comes to politics. If the unfortunate happens and it comes to war, then I can help you."

"It's true," I added. "Peter's definitely the warrior out of us all." Caspian grinned at me, obviously wanting to say something about that back to me, but he turned his attention to the matter at hand and turned, completely serious, back to Edmund.

"I'll write to the Tisroc at once."

While Caspian spent the rest of the afternoon in his study, going over ways to propose a stronger truce to the Tisroc with Edmund and Peter went to speak with Glenstorm about increasing the army's training just in case, I paced the floor of the throne room with Liliandil and Julia watching me.

"What if it does come down to war?" Julia asked, fear in her brown eyes.

"That's what I'm thinking," I responded quickly, slowing my pacing to glance at her before picking up my speed again. "Maybe if it's soon enough, I can go…." I bit my bottom lip and my hand flew absent-mindedly to my stomach. Liliandil stepped in and took my hands, stopping my nervous pacing.

"Forget Peter, Edmund, and Caspian. _I_ wouldn't let you do that!" the star said, worry creasing her brow. Ever since she and Edmund had started courting, we'd been on much better terms and had even become friends. "Not only is it possible suicide, but also possible homicide," she added. I sighed, freeing my right hand and pressing it to my stomach again.

"I know," I agreed, closing my eyes and willing the longing urge to go to battle with my brothers and husband against Calormen. Besides, we didn't even know if that would happen. It was simply a possibility. When the door to the throne room opened, my head shot up and I met Caspian's eyes. The normal, liquid chocolate brown was hard and regal. I'd only ever seen this look on him once, and it was when he was sentencing Miraz's loyal followers to death not long after we'd put him on the throne. He walked up to an Eagle, one named Havoc. As I approached, I heard Caspian's quiet, leveled question.

"Please, I know you are not a messenger, but this is extremely important. We must make haste to get it to the Tisroc." Though Havoc didn't like having to be the messenger bird, he agreed and took the letter from Caspian's hand, flying out the open window and to the south.

"That Bird is quite a challenge to deal with," I heard him muttering as I approached him. He turned around and smiled at me, the hardness in his eyes softening.

"Caspian…I hope it doesn't come to this…" My voice trailed off, and I knew from the look in his eyes I didn't have to finish my sentence.

"It won't come to a war, Lu. Trust me," he whispered, pulling me into his arms. _Oh, Aslan, I hope not,_ I thought.

**Hope you liked it! It's not really a filler, because it starts the next conflict, but it's not exactly the next conflict yet, either. Anyway, review and lemme know whatcha think!**


	47. Promises

**So…I drew a picture of Lucy…in her **_**Treader**_** clothes…and I have to say, it's pretty freaking awesome. I'm thinking of uploading it to Deviantart. Maybe, maybe not. Ehhh I probably won't. But I'm really proud of it, because it's like the best picture I've ever drawn, and usually I draw like really crappy pictures because I can never make the eyes freaking symmetrical, and I managed to make them symmetrical in this picture, and it just enhanced the quality of the drawing. Okay! I'm gonna shut up now and let you read chapter 47! Ohhhh! So close to the ending! Sad face! Ah, well, c'est la vie. Enjoy chapter 47!**

CASPIAN'S POV

It was not good. It was not good at all. I couldn't tell Lucy; not yet, anyway. I had to talk things over with Edmund first. I took the letter the Tisroc himself had written to me in reply to the one I'd sent him to the younger king and dropped it down next to him when I found him in the sitting room again.

"Is this the reply?" Edmund asked, looking up at me. I nodded, unable to speak for fear I wouldn't be able to keep my temper down. Ed picked the parchment up and read over the neat handwriting that held such horrible words. Ed's face became grave and he dropped his hand, looking up at me with grim, brown eyes. "'If you will not give us the land peacefully, then we will fight over it.' What are we going to do? We didn't say anything in our letter to provoke him to this, did we?"

"No," I spat, finally losing my temper—not something I did often, but when I did it was often very bad. "No, we were completely fine. It's that scum of a son he has! I'll bet he read it to his father and interpreted it as something terrible in the process!"

"Calm down, Caspian," Edmund interjected quietly before I could continue. I felt his hand on my shoulder and forced myself to cool down. I was glad I'd decided to speak to Edmund before speaking to Lucy. I knew she probably wouldn't see it as taking my anger out on her, but she _was_ pregnant after all, and from what I've seen, pregnant women and their hormonal issues are not something to deal with.

"You're right. Sorry," I sighed once I had my temper flare under control.

"We need to write to Castor," Ed went on, expression thoughtful now. "They're victims in this, too. Maybe if we have them at the fight, the Calormenes will surrender faster. After all, Rabadash is the Tisroc's ancestor. He's got to have some of that ass's cowardice." Edmund chuckled as he said that, as if to some inside joke.*

"Yes, that would be helpful," I said, continuing on with the conversation. I would ask about the odd chuckle later. After writing a message to Castor and having Havoc take it again—the Eagle was quite put-out with having to deliver messages, but seeing as it was a direct order from two Kings of Narnia, he couldn't disagree—I searched around before finally finding Lucy out in the courtyard, sitting on a bench in the sunlight, silently reading. I took a few minutes to watch her, sitting there peacefully, the sunshine bringing out the red in her hair. A breeze would blow by every once in a while, ruffling her loose, long locks as well as the pages of the book she was reading. I didn't want to disturb her with the news of the Tisroc's disdain for not being able to get the land he wanted peacefully and wanting to fight over it. She looked so calm, I just couldn't bring myself to walk over and tell her.

I sighed and walked over anyway, sitting down next to her and wrapping an arm around her waist. She smiled at me without looking up from her book.

"Hello," she said lightly, giggling when I pressed a kiss to her temple in reply.

"What are you reading?" I asked.

"Hmm?" she hummed, looking up at me now. I quietly repeated my question.

"The story about Rilian."

"Ah, the one you want to name our child after if it's a boy," I chuckled. I looked up as Edmund came outside. I sighed and gave him a quick shrug before turning back to my wife. Ed walked up to us.

"Lucy…there's some bad news," her brother said. She looked up from her book, worry in her grey-blue eyes. "Calormen has basically declared war on Narnia." Lucy turned to me.

"Did you know this?" she asked. I sighed and nodded. "Why didn't you tell me?"

"You looked so peaceful. I…I couldn't bring myself to disturb you." She sighed and kissed me lightly. Edmund cleared his throat.

"We've sent a letter to Castor concerning this, asking for his support. After all, the Tisroc wanted all of Archenland for his own." Lucy nodded, biting her bottom lip.

"I…I just wish…" She paused and sighed. "I wish I could help."

"No," I interrupted in a hard voice before she could continue. "You will not be going with us this time. I will not risk my wife and child's lives for something like this."

"I know. But the thought of staying behind while you all go off to war is…too hard to bear. I've never, _ever_ had to stay behind before." Edmund put his hand on her shoulder and gave her a small, sympathetic smile.

"We know, Lu. But it's for the sake of your country. I mean, think of it this way: if something was to happen and Caspian died in the war, your child would be the only heir." Lucy flinched when Edmund mentioned the possibility of my dying, but she knew he was right and nodded. I looked up at Ed.

"I don't want them coming anywhere near Narnia."

"I know. We'll leave for Calormen in three days. The troops are prepared and know what to do. I explained everything to Glenstorm." We exchanged quick nods before Edmund went back inside Cair.

"Caspian," Lucy said, grabbing my hand before we walked inside ourselves. "Promise me you'll be all right." Her big, blue eyes met mine, and I read the fear in them. "Promise you'll come home." I pulled her into my arms. Though we both knew I could promise no such thing, I had to say it, if only to comfort her somewhat.

"I promise."

**Awwww! Sad! Okay, don't worry, the battle will be in the next chapter. And it will be very interesting, very interesting indeed. ((twirls fake mustache evilly)) No, just kidding. But seriously, it will be interesting. And fun to write, no doubt! ((goes into iTunes playlist and puts on The Battle from LWW for inspiration))**

**Also, *the joke is in The Horse and His Boy, if you haven't read it, if Rabadash—the prince, and Tisroc at the end of the book—turns into a donkey—or ass—if he ventures too far from his palace.**


	48. The Battle Against Calormen

**Okay, here it is! The battle with Calormen! Enjoy!**

CASPIAN'S POV

We'd headed oversea to get to Calormen to avoid the desert and were there within a matter of days. We had our archers positioned in the hills behind our cavalry so as to confuse the Calormenes if only for a short while. So far the battle was raging in full, unfortunately with many lives lost on both sides. The Narnian army seemed meager in comparison to the Calormen army, but we had Archenland's great force on our side to back us up. Castor had been convinced by his brother to stay behind and rule while Emmett himself came with us. After all, Castor was not married and had no promise of an heir to his throne, so if he died, Emmett would be the successor, and it was clear that Emmett had no wish to rule the country.

I tried hard to keep my mind on the fight, but sometimes I found myself thinking about Lucy, and how I wish she had been able to join in the fight so she could be by my side. But then I realized the dangers of having her here and scolded myself before focusing back on the task at hand. I always seemed to be moving, hardly ever getting rest during the day, but both sides reverting to their camps during the night. My sword currently ran through a soldier attempting to attack me before I pulled it out and sliced at another Calormene to my left. I heard the sound of a strangled gasp behind me and turned briefly to see Edmund guarding my back.

"Any luck?" I asked him, escaping briefly to the trees to speak with the young king.

"Hardly. We seem to have almost equal losses on each side. The Calormene army may not be as strong, but when we arrived they had more numbers, and with groups of soldiers attacking one of ours at a time…." His voice trailed off, and I nodded, not needing to hear the end of the sentence.

"Come on," I said, having caught my breath somewhat. "We can't stay here and abandon our men like this." Edmund nodded and we were back in the fight. We stayed together, guarding each other's backs. I recalled the last battle we were in was the one with the witch, and I knew how much easier that had been than this. That had been one person to deal with; these were thousands. I was able to jump in one fight and save a Faun. He nodded his thanks to me before turning back to his own fight.

Lithos and Charoite galloped by me, cutting down any Calormene in their way, Charoite's normally silver-white horn stained vermillion with the blood of the enemies. The unicorn glanced at me briefly, his green eyes shining with the dedication to the fight and to Narnia. I nodded at him before Edmund called for me to look out, and I raised my sword just in time to block an attack. I attacked him, also being blocked, but surprising him so he left his chest unguarded, and I quickly stabbed him in the heart, withdrawing my sword as he fell to the ground. As I looked up, I noticed the Calormene prince, Achtar, fighting ruthlessly, cutting down any Narnian or Archenlander that came across his blade. I saw a clear path and ducked and cut through, my blade finally meeting the prince's.

"Well, well," Achtar hissed, grinning horridly when his dark eyes met mine. "King Caspian."

"Achtar," I answered, not bothering with his title. It wasn't exactly the greatest time for formalities, seeing as how we were both planning on killing each other.

"Is there a problem, Sire?" he mocked, pulling back and lunging, his head-on attack easily blocked. I didn't answer, forcing myself to focus on the fight, blocking his moves, waiting for the precise moment when he left some part of him vulnerable and I could attack. At the moment, I was completely on the defensive, making sure my weak spots were covered. The only part of me that wasn't protected was my back, but seeing as I was now fighting the prince, it didn't seem that any soldier wanted to try and kill me from behind.

His attacks became more complex, and I found myself trying less to go over in my mind what part of me was still vulnerable and more what he was attempting to attack right at that moment. I felt myself starting to weaken, and as he started hitting harder, he forced me to my knees.

"Call to Tash and ask forgiveness," he hissed before swinging his sword upward, leaving his middle completely exposed. I drove my sword through his chest and stood, the blade driving deeper as I did so.

"I fight for Aslan," I said before pulling my sword out and watching as he fell, eternally unmoving at my feet. The fighting around me slowed as the Calormene soldiers realized their prince was dead. From what I saw as the soldiers threw their weapons to the ground, Achtar had been the driving purpose for their fighting; without him, they seemed to be powerless. My soldiers and Emmett's looked around in shock before a great cry of triumph sounded. Peter and Edmund were by my side almost instantly, both smiling proudly.

"We did it!" Peter laughed.

"And we're still alive," Edmund added. Emmett, Lithos, and Charoite walked up to us as well, and we watched as the Calormenes run back to their camp, their heads cowered down in fear.

"We survived," Emmett sighed in relief. We all smiled triumphantly at each other before looking around, our smiles waning.

"How many did we lose?" I asked, seeing the unfortunate number of Narnian and Archenlander bodies littering the ground as well as the vast amount of Calormenes.

"I think about one-fifth of our troops were killed," Peter said.

"So many?" I sighed. I turned to Emmett.

"I lost a little less, from the looks of it."

"Those who died in battle are standing with Aslan in his Country as we speak, Sire," Charoite spoke up, the crimson blood dripping from his horn still. "We should not grieve them, but celebrate their lives and thank Aslan that they died for a noble cause."

"We should thank Aslan that our kings are all still alive," Lithos added, smiling at me, Peter, and Edmund. "And that we have such a strong ally as Archenland to assist us in times of trouble." He nodded at Emmett as he said that.

"I don't know about you," I chuckled, "but I shall be very glad to go home." The others laughed and nodded in agreement.

**There you have it, the battle! I thought Caspian's line to Achtar was pretty freaking awesome. I came up with that a few days ago and thought, "No freaking way am I leaving that out!" I dunno, just something about it was just like WHOA, y'know? It gave me goosebumps writing it! Hope you liked reading it as much as I did writing it! Leave me a review and let me know!**


	49. Proposal

**Okay, so last chapter was, pfft, EPIC! This one's kind of a filler, so it's not that great, but whatevs. Enjoy!**

EDMUND'S POV

It had been about eight months since the battle with Calormen. We hadn't had any trouble with them since, and the Tisroc had agreed to absolute peace. The baby was very close to its due date, and Lucy and Caspian were extremely excited. During the course of the past few months, Peter and Julia had gotten married, and quite a festivity that had been. It hadn't been nearly as extravagant as Lucy and Caspian's wedding, of course, but it was still quite extravagant, thanks to Susan and Liliandil.

I'd been courting Liliandil for many long months. I paced back and forth in basically what was my favorite place to spend time—the sitting room nearest my bedroom. Normally I'd sit in there with a book to read or Peepiceek to talk to—he really was very much like Reepicheep, whom I missed dearly—but now I was by myself, trying to decide the best way to propose to Liliandil.

"Oh, there you are, Ed," I heard my little sister's voice say, and I turned to see her as she walked into the room. She sat on the couch and I smiled and sat next to her, putting my hand on her swollen belly.

"Hey Luce," I answered. "How long now?"

"Mm, a couple of days."

"So soon," I breathed, chuckling. Suddenly I realized something, and looked back up at her. "Can I talk to you about something?"

"Sure, what is it?"

"I want to propose to Liliandil…but I don't know how." Her blue-grey eyes widened and a smile spread across her face.

"You're going to propose to Liliandil? Oh, Ed, that's wonderful!"

"It would be…if I wasn't so nervous, that is."

"Oh, don't fret so much about it. It will come naturally when it's supposed to, don't worry."

"Are you sure?" I asked her. She smiled and nodded before jumping slightly in surprise.

"Oh, oh, come here!" she said excitedly. "The baby kicked!" She reached out and took my hand before placing it on her belly. Sure enough, there was a soft bumping against my hand. I chuckled and smiled at my sister's gleeful expression before sighing. My baby sister was all grown up, married to my best friend and about to have a child of her own. The thought made me nostalgic for the little girl I used to know when we were living in England and I hugged her.

"Ed? Ed, is something wrong?" she asked, pulling out of the hug. She noticed the slight tears in my eyes. "Are you all right?" I laughed and tried to blink the sudden tears out of my eyes.

"Yeah, I-I got something in my eye," I answered, turning away from her. I heard her light laugh behind me.

"That's such a boy thing. Honestly, Ed, what's wrong?"

"I…I just…you're not the little Lucy I used to know," I answered, shrugging. "I mean, you're very nearly eighteen, and…well…I don't know. You're the youngest out of our family, and you're the first to marry and have a child. It just seems out of place. I guess I was just missing the ten-year-old Lucy." This time, tears were in her eyes.

"Oh, Ed, I'll always be your little sister," she laughed, the tears spilling down her cheeks. "We've all grown up. Narnia did that to us the first time we were here, remember? I was never quite the same afterwards. It's sort of to be expected." I nodded.

"Do you know where Liliandil is?" I asked, suddenly remembering my proposal to be made.

"Hmm…I think she and Julia are in the throne room with Peter and Caspian." I nodded and stood, helping her up before we walked silently down the hall together. When we reached the throne room, Lucy immediately herded Julia over to where Caspian and Peter were sitting and playing chess. I walked up to Liliandil.

"Hello, Ed," she said, smiling at me. I smiled back at her.

"Can I talk to you?" I asked.

"Of course, what is it?" Her big, bright, blue eyes stared innocently and cluelessly at me.

"We've been courting for a long time now…and I love you."

"I love you too," she replied, giggling. I smiled at her before getting down on one knee and pulling out a small box.

"Liliandil, will you marry me?" Her blue eyes widened, and her mouth dropped open in shock. I could feel eyes on me from behind and knew the others were watching, but I was focused on Ramandu's daughter. After her initial moment of surprise, her mouth spread in a smile and she nodded. I slipped the ring on her left hand as I stood and kissed her. I heard "aww"s come from the girls behind me. I pulled out of the kiss and chuckled at my sister and sister-in-law.

"Congratulations, Ed," Caspian said as we walked over to them, clapping me on the shoulder.

"Thanks," I replied, smiling at Lucy. She was right; it did come very naturally.

"This is so wonderful!" Julia gushed. "Another wedding to plan! Oh, this is going to be so much fun! Lucy, you've got to help me out!" She turned to Lucy and bounced up and down. We all laughed before Lucy gasped.

"Caspian," she said, turning to him.

"What? What's wrong?"

"I think it's time."

"What? How do you know?" Peter asked.

"My water just broke," Lucy answered, giving our brother a "duh, how do you think I know?" look.

"Come on, let's get to the bedroom. Peter, can you go grab the nurse?"

"Of course," Peter answered, nodding and heading out of the room. I moved over and took the hand Caspian wasn't holding and helped her to their bedroom.

"I can't believe she's actually having the baby," Liliandil said as the nurse hurried in.

"It's so exciting!" Julia replied, her smile never leaving her face.

"Yes, it is," Peter agreed.

**Ahhhh! Lucy's having the baby! You know what that means! Hope you enjoyed! Next chapter will be the last one! Already! oOo! Review and lemme know whatcha think. Again, this was just kind of a filler, so yeah.**


	50. A Child is Born

**OMG, OMG, OMG! THE LAST CHAPTER OF DEAR ONE, I CAN'T BELIEVE IT! I thought I'd never get here! oOo! I'm getting all teary-eyed already! Enjoy chapter 50! The last chapter! Oh, and for the purpose of this chapter, Caspian's not in the room with Lucy while she's giving birth. But Julia is. I dunno, it's a girl thing. Okay, I'll let you read now. Enjoy!**

CASPIAN'S POV

Julia went in after the nurse did and I couldn't stop myself from pacing in front of the door. I couldn't believe she was actually having the baby already. It seemed only weeks since I'd first met her, four years before. I smiled slightly. So many things had happened in the past year, from good things to bad. And it had all started when Lucy decided to stay in Narnia instead of going back to her world.

_"I think we should go back to England, Lu," Edmund said, putting a hand on his sister's shoulder. She looked at him briefly before turning to Aslan._

_ "Aslan, do I have the choice to stay in Narnia if I wish?" My heart lifted at the thought, and I stared at the Lion, hoping beyond anything that he'd say they could both stay. I didn't want to be all alone in Narnia. Of course, there was the star on Ramandu's island…but the thought of her going back home with me when Lucy could have didn't seem all that appealing._

_ "Yes, dear one. But if you stay in Narnia, you will never be able to go back." Her eyes lit up and she whirled back around to face her brother and the young man who— as I told him before the battle on Dark Island— I considered a brother as well._

_ "You'll be able to come up with something for Mum and Dad, won't you? And you can tell Peter and Susan what happened." I frowned at the thought that Edmund wouldn't be staying with us, but I was still glad to have Lucy in my company._

So many things had changed. I hadn't been in love with Lucy then, but I always did have a soft spot for the young queen. One of my fondest memories was when we sailed back to the Lone Islands.

_Lord Bern pulled me aside to speak to me. He asked why Lucy was still here and why Reepicheep and Edmund were not. He also asked who Liliandil was and why she was accompanying us back to Narnia if Lucy had decided to stay. I explained quietly all that had happened at the end of the world, and then turned to see Lucy watching families reunite, a small, sad smile on her face. I walked up behind her and gently squeezed her shoulder. She turned to face me, and I could see in her eyes she was thinking the exact same thing I was: we were the only family the other had left._

_ That night we wandered the little castle that Bern now resided in as Duke of the Lone Islands, and stopped on a balcony facing the western ocean. Just barely on the very tip of the horizon I could make out the shape of the beginning of the land that was Narnia. I heard Lucy sigh from next to me, and I turned to look at her. She had her chin resting in her hand as she stared off in the distance._

_ "Are you glad to be going home?" I asked. She nodded, a smile spreading gleefully across her face before faltering slightly._

_ "if only Peter, Susan, and Edmund were here with me. Home won't be the same without them. Back in the Golden Age…we were almost always together."_

That was the first night I admitted how infatuated with her I had been as a boy. That infatuation had never ceased, even when I saw her as a twelve-year-old girl the first time I met the kings and queens of old. One of my least favorite memories of my time with Lucy was when she suddenly disappeared from Cair after my counsel with Trumpkin about my needing an heir.

_I left Lucy in the garden I'd given her and went inside for a counsel with Trumpkin. Glenstorm was there as well, but he looked just as puzzled as I felt._

_ "Trumpkin, what is this all about?" I asked, folding my arms across my chest and staring at the dwarf. _

_"My king…Drinian told me about the close fight with the sea serpent. It would be a catastrophe if you were to die without an heir. You need to marry." I let my arms drop to my sides and stared at Trumpkin. Why would he say such a thing? He knew there wasn't one I loved…or at least, I didn't think there was. My mind immediately flew to Lucy, but I shook that thought out of my head and focused on Trumpkin as he continued pacing. "There are plenty of options, Your Majesty..." He continued, but I stopped listening and turned to the window. I heard Liliandil's name, and turned back to him._

_ "I don't think Liliandil is the best idea, Trumpkin," I told him quietly._

_ "Oh? Why's that?"_

_ "King Caspian!" a young Wolf named Laika burst in through the doors. "Your Highness, please, Queen Lucy ran off into the woods! I think she was upset about something."_

_ "Upset about what?" Glenstorm asked, but I didn't stick around to find the answer. I noticed it was raining as I ran to the stables, and made myself hurry to put Destrier's blanket and saddle on. Not twenty minutes later, Glenstorm, myself, and a party of other Narnians were heading into the woods._

_ After what seemed an eternity, I started to lose hope. If something had happened to Lucy, I would never forgive myself._

_ "Caspian!" I heard Glenstorm's booming voice from about ten feet away in the trees, and steered Destrier over there. I jumped off my horse's saddle and ran to Lucy, pulling her immediately into my arms. Then I pulled back and examined her for any injuries. There were none beyond a few scratches and scrapes, but her dress was ruined and she was soaked to the bone._

_ "Lucy, what happened to you?" I asked as I helped her to her feet. She shook her head, which threw her off balance and almost tipped her over, so I caught her quickly and securely in my arms. I pressed one hand to her forehead and sighed, internally scoffing at myself._

_ "Great, Caspian, just great. Let her get a _fever_ before finding her," I muttered to myself under my breath before getting on Destrier and helping her up._

_ There was a great storm raging outside that night, and I found I couldn't sleep. So I lay in my bed, staring up at the ceiling. I heard my bedroom door open and sat up, watching as Lucy walked in and closed the door behind her._

_ "Can't sleep?" I asked, smiling at her. She shook her head._

_ "It's so cold in my room." I chuckled lightly and patted the bed next to me. As she lay down, I wrapped my arm around her and found I was able to fall asleep easily._

Edmund and Peter had been given chairs, as had I, but I couldn't sit still; all I could do was pace outside the door and remember everything that had happened between Lucy and myself. Hours later, I had finally settled somewhat in my seat when Julia came out, a huge smile on her face. I jumped up.

"How is she?" I asked.

"Wonderful," Julia answered. "Also, you have a son." My heart leapt and I walked in the room, pausing briefly when I saw Lucy sitting up in the bed and staring down with a big smile at our child. I made my way over and she looked up at me, the same big smile never leaving her face.

"Prince Rilian," she whispered, handing the newborn to me. I instantly cradled him in my arms and sat on the edge of the bed next to my wife, staring down at the little sleeping bundle in my arms. A flash of grey came from the door and next thing I knew, a grey-and-white head poked up next to the baby.

"Hello, Laika," Lucy greeted her, smiling at her Wolf friend.

"Can I see him?" the Wolf asked, her brown eyes shining.

"Of course," I replied, lowering my arms a bit to allow Laika to see Rilian.

"He's so small!" she whispered with wonder. "What's his name?" Lucy told the Wolf the baby's name, and she smiled. "It's so perfect!"

"Aslan!" Lucy exclaimed, looking towards the door. Her brothers had walked into the room already, and they also looked to see the Great Lion standing in the doorway.

"Hello, Lucy," Aslan answered, smiling at the young queen. He walked over and gently breathed on Rilian. "A beautiful child." I could see a smile on the Lion's face as he looked at Lucy. "My dear one."

**And that's the end! T~T I'll be posting the acknowledgements soon after this. I hope you enjoyed reading this chapter and series as much as I loved writing it!**


	51. Acknowledgements

**Here is the acknowledgements list for all those who faved/subscribed to Dear One! I couldn't have continued without your support, and I'm so incredibly happy that people enjoyed reading it as much as I loved writing it! I'll be posting the prologue to a new fanfiction, called Return to Narnia tomorrow. Thank you so much to everybody who added Dear One to their favorites list or their story alerts, and for all the wonderful reviews I've received. And then, of course, there are my silent readers out there, as well. I thank you all, too, for you generous support!**

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**Once again, thank you SOOO much everybody! And once again, I'll be posting the prologue for Return to Narnia tomorrow.**


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